Old Series Book 3: Seduction
by Tesst
Summary: YAY! Arya and Eragon are back! Anyways: A dark prediction of the White Death's creation haunts Arya along with a horrifying nightmare of her childhood. A few lights of hope still burn in her future. But how long will they glow? Rated M for sexuality
1. Chapter 1

Book 3: Seduction

Chapter 1: Shock and Reunion

She watched Eragon with his sword of flames with a feeling of dread. _Impossible. How could Eragon be the Carrier? _Eragon noticed her and

Brisingr stopped flaming. He frowned and put it back into his sheath, and walked over to her. He laid a hand on her shoulder and said, "Arya?

What's wrong?" She jerked at his sudden touch. Her mind repeated the prophecy over and over, trying to figure out how Eragon could be the

Carrier of the Flames. "Eragon, Bla....Bladgen says that you are the Carrier of the Flames of Pain." Eragon looked surprised and almost horrified.

"What? That's impossible! I would never harm you!" Arya looked out the window and pointed at Blagden. Eragon walked to the window also and

raised a hand at the white bird. He scowled as he was dragged back through the air. He landed in Eragon's hand and pecked at him. "Alright

white bird, talk!" Blagden stopped and cackled. "White and gold are as one!" Eragon squeezed the bird. "I didn't ask for riddles. Explain

Solembum's riddle." The bird pecked him again and this time Eragon let go of most of him, but kept a firm grip on his leg so that he could not fly

off. Blagden pecked at his fingers for a few seconds then looked up at the waiting pair. He waved his wings in the air. "One held one, and two

also held one." Eragon shook the bird. "Information Blagden. That's what will get you out." The bird closed his eyes for a moment and moved a

wing over his beck. Then slowly his eyes opened and he cawed. "So I say, so the White Death says. I am the White Death and...." Then his

spine went rigid and he sat motionless. Arya laid a hand on Eragon's shoulder. "He's seeing into the future." Eragon glared at the bird until it

shook himself and straightened. Like a priest slowly starting a talk to thousands the bird coughed once His eyes sparkled a bright silver as he

said, "Prior to all immersing peace, one will join four, two will find two, and two will break away from two and the Carrier of the Flames of Pain

and the Ice of Fury will burn and freeze." The bird, the White Death, cawed and reached his neck to the sky and shouted, "Wyrda!" Eragon let

go of his leg and he flew off. Eragon turned to Arya and hugged her. "We need to talk to Oromis about this." Arya slowly nodded with her head

buried in his chest. Together they went to the old elves home, not noticing that Kroger and K'eray followed. At the base of the thousand foot

high cliff Eragon said, "Lift Arya and I to the top." He didn't say this in the Ancient Language, but in his own language. Still the magic lifted him

and Arya to the top of the mountain. Glaedr sat beside Oromis's hut, gently licking a bumpy golden rock with such tenderness Eragon stretched

out his mind an investigated what the item was. _An Eldunari! _Glaedr looked up as the two came into complete view and snorted twisting his

head to the entrance to the hut. Oromis calmly walked out of his hut and spotted the two. He motioned with one hand and Eragon started

forward. Oromis spoke in the Ancient Language and made a stool for Arya and got the two he and Eragon always sat in.

"Eragon. I am glad to see you, and of course I know you were here." He gestured with a hand at Arya. "You're choice to take Eragon, and

Faola's to take Murtagh as mates have roused the elves in outrage. They believe that humans are trying to corrupt our kind. I tried to explain

that this is nonsense but they did not listen." Eragon would have waited until the elf fell into the peaceful quiet but they had to leave that day

and the sun was quickly lowering to the sunset. "Master we need to speak with you on a very important subject. Oromis nodded as if that were

bluntly obvious, which technically it was. "What matter do you seek guidance in?" Eragon began to explain what was going on, but Arya

interrupted him. "Swear in the Ancient Language that you won't share this with anyone." Oromis dipped his head. "I swear it." Arya nodded,

satisfied. Eragon explained what was and what had happened. When he was done Oromis leaned back in his chair. "One will join four. That

must mean that you can expect company on your way back to the Varden. If you, Arya, K'eray, and Kroger are all going that adds up to four.

Stay alert for an attack of some kind." Then he closed his eyes and his voice lowered. "As for the two will find two and two will break away from

two, I haven't a clue. The Carrier of Flames. Eragon you have a sword of flames and you carry it. This makes you a suspect for the Carrier of

Flames. The Ice of Fury." Oromis frowned as if concentrating. Then his eyes flashed open and then closed half way. "Eragon. Your sword is not

the first to burst into it's name, at the spoken word of it's name. Arvindr. The sword I mentioned to you for a sword, before Brisingr. Arvindr in

the Ancient Language means Ice. Arvindr was the first property of the elf Nealie. He helped make it. Thereafter he said it's name and it burst it

ice, sharp enough to cut through anything. The ice it put out was known as the Ice of Fury. You have to identify this Carrier and keep him away

from Brisingr and Arvindr. If he gets them Blagden's original prediction will be fulfilled. I will have the sword sent to me here, and then send it to

you with magic for safe keeping." Eragon nodded. It sounded like a good plan. Oromis lowered his head. "Go now. You have all the advice I can

give you, and you must be off to the Varden."

* * *

Two hours later Eragon, Arya, K'eray, and unfortunately, Kroger set out for the Varden. With a few words from Eragon they made twice the

progress they would normally and as a result left the forest behind in less then a day. The traveled that day, into the night, and onto the next

day. At noon the second day K'eray had had enough. She stopped and pushed Arya to a distance. "I'm tired. My feet hurt awfully. And I haven't

even gotten to talk to...." She slapped her hand over her mouth as before. Arya nodded, although she was panting. "Let's stop at the nearest

city." As it turned out Gilead was the closest city. Arya told Eragon and they headed around the giant lake that guarded the city. They arrived at

early dusk. Once there Eragon had bad memories of the place. He even thought that he might have seen the same jail he had been imprisoned

in. He looked at Arya and saw a flick of fear in her eyes. They bought a room at the same place that Eragon and Brom had stayed at, so many

months ago. When they got to their room, which thankfully was not the same one, it only had two beds in it. Kroger and K'eray walked in and

set their bags down with sighs of relief. Kroger looked at the two beds and then at the three others in the room. "Alright, Eragon and K'eray will

share a bed, and Arya and I will share one." Without even thinking Eragon drew Brisingr out a half inch and then lowered it again. Kroger looked

at him. "I...I thought I saw someone outside the window." Kroger turned around and looked at the window and then walked over to it and

started to work the knob that would open it. Meanwhile K'eray slowly inched towards the restroom. "Yes well I....need to go....clean myself up."

She slipped into the room and Arya heard her whispering the words of scrying. She looked at Eragon in horror. Under her breath she whispered,

"You aren't going to let him sleep in the same bed as me, are you. I'm struggling to let him sleep in the same room." Eragon laid a hand on the

small of her back. "Of course not." He stood up straight and said, "Kroger, something just occurred to me." The elf looked up and said, "What

would that be?"

"Well it seems to me that Arya and I are capably of guarding ourselves if we're attacked in the night, but K'eray would easily be killed or

captured. Since you are the most powerful elf, save for the queen, doesn't it make more sense to sleep close to her?" Kroger looked slightly

surprised, and disappointed, at his reason. She snorted and then said, "Fine. I will sleep in the same bed as K'eray." Eragon's shape wavered

and in a split fraction of a tenth of a second he stood in front of Kroger, holding Brisingr to his neck. He leaned his head close to Kroger's and

whispered so quietly Arya or K'eray could not hear, "I know what you did to Arya. She told me. And so help me if your hand falls on K'eray's body

I swear you will regret it for as long as you live." Then his form wavered again and he was again standing next to Arya. He put a hand on her

arm and whispered in her ear, "Come one. We have better things to do then talk to this rapist." Arya nodded and turned with him. They left the

inn and went through town, and found a cheap restaurant. They went in an ordered, right after they each cast spells to turn their features

human. While they waited they talked. "So what did you say to Kroger?" Eragon sniffed the air as a waitress walked past with a pile of steaming

meat. "I told him that you told me what he did to you and that if he even so much as let a hand touch K'eray in the same way, he would regret it

for the rest of his live." Arya smiled at the news. "Good, I was slightly worried about the possibility that he might be tempted." Eragon nodded.

That same thing had occurred to him. "I can't believe that you managed to stay strong throw what he did." Arya raised her chin in obvious pride.

"For 15 years or the 700 times he did it?" Eragon laughed. "Both really. I…." He was cut off as an astonished gasp came from his right. He looked

over and saw a semi tall blonde woman. Memories shot into his mind, memories from Carvahall, when he was coming up and wondering how he

would marry, and looking at that same blonde hair. "Megan!?!?!"


	2. The Bridge Lowers

**Sort of a long chapter but I don't think you guys care. **

The Bridge Lowers

Eragon stared at the face that he had once considered possibly his future wife. Megan was a girl, woman now, of some five feet tall, with skin

like light honey, and light blond hair. With those features she had quickly aroused a race between Eragon and Roran over who would win her

first. Then that fateful day had come for Roran when he went into town to get a scythe re-sharpened when he had seen Katrina, and had fallen

in love with her. Thereafter Eragon had openly flirted with her until he had found Saphira's egg. At that point the relationship went slightly

downward, as he had began to care more for Saphira then her. But he had still cared about her, to the point where he almost told her about the

sapphire dragon. He remembered the conversation vividly. _Eragon walking to her house, mind filled with the blue dragon. Knocking on her door and _

_seeing her honey colored face inviting him in. Megan telling him that she was home alone. Her gently pushing him to a couch. Her finally pushing him _

_into a lying position on it and whispering in his ear while she rapped her arms around his neck, "Come on. Let's take off our cloths, and then you can _

_have some fun. Him pushing her off and saying, "Megan, stop it. You know my answer to that." Her sighing and sitting on the opposite side of the _

_couch and they started a light conversation in which he had almost decided to tell her about _it. _The blue dragon that so filed his mind. _She now looked

at him like all the memories of her past life had slapped her in the face. "Eragon?" Eragon immediately shielded his mind and put his palm barring

the gedwey ignasia below the table. "Megan, what are you doing here?" Megan looked at his in a sly seductive way, not even glancing twice at

Arya, and sat down beside him. "Well after you left Roran told us we all had to leave, due to some solders attacking us. If you recall I was living

with Ivor, my uncle, at the time, because my father died. He was one of the people who stayed and so we went to Yazuac, and found it

deserted. So we went here, to Gilead. We've been here for nearing six months. Since he can't farm anymore I took a job here. So what's been

up with you?" She rattled off the list as if it were absolutely of no importance. He looked at Arya, who seemed to be a little annoyed, and said, "A

lot of things have happened." She smiled at him in a way that made his insides churn. He may be with Arya, but that did not put up a shield to

his male urges. She was a bit higher then lovely, but he was not about to lose Arya again merely because he could not contain himself. Then

Megan brightened at a sudden idea. "I have a great idea! How many people do you have with you?" Eragon thought about the wisdom of telling

her then decided she was no threat to them. "Four." Megan's smile widened. "Then you _have_ to come and stay with me and Ivor. We have a

huge room and there are only two of us." Eragon cast a quick glance at Arya. _What do you think? _Arya was looking reluctantly at Megan, as if she

had guessed at the role she had played in Eragon's life, a role she now held, and said back, "_Better not to use up our coin._ _Let us go with this _

_Megan."_ Eragon nodded. It made sense to go, but he was reluctant because it was had flirted with more men in Carvahall then

Eragon had been aware that there was. "Alright Megan, let's go." Triumph spread on Megan's face and she said, "Well I really can't go right

now. Why don't you send that pretty slave girl to get the others of your party." Eragon frowned at her. "She-" he pointed a finger at Arya, "-is

not a slave girl. I will explain what she is when we get to your room." Arya stood up and left to get Kroger and K'eray.

Arya jumped from one roof to another back to the hotel. As she jumped she seethed with anger at this Megan. _She hasn't been at Eragon's side _

_for more then half a minute and she's flirting with him! With how much time it took for her to flirt with I bet she's naked right now. Slave girl. I am the _

_soon to be Queen of the Elves! _In about ten minutes she landed on the roof of their room and walked in. Kroger or K'eray was nowhere to be

seen. She heard whispering and giggles from inside the bathroom, and a cold line of dread climbed up her spine. She walked to the door and

listened. Giggling and then, "I know, I know. She was the one pushing for the information. Yeah I know nosy, right? Let's see, what did she say?

You want her exact words? Do you want me to say all the insults and bad names?" There came a silence then the male voice said, "No. We don't

want to dirty your pretty mouth." Arya was relived to hear that it wasn't Kroger's voice. K'eray giggled at the boy's complement. "Okay without

all the bad names and insults.....she didn't say anything." Laughter bubbled out of whomever that was. Arya sighed and smiled. It was always

so when a mentor trained an apprentice harder then they liked. They made up bad stories about them and told them to all their friends. They

were silent for a minute then the boy said, "K'eray, I'm so glad I met you. No one accepted that I'm not a full elf, but you. I really, really care

about you." K'eray giggled. "Why do males always have to hide their emotions behind a wall of manliness? Well I'm not so petty. I, for one, know

that I love you." From the male there was silence for a moment and then, "I'm sorry. I've had to prove myself time and time again, much more

then others. It makes me want to hide all my emotions; for fear that people will ridicule me for them. I love you too K'eray." Arya reached out to

the doorknob. "Going way, way too far," she whispered to herself as she opened it. She opened it slowly at first and then pushed it open all the

way as fast as she could. K'eray sat on a stool in front of the mirror, were a basin of water was. The water inside of it showed the fading image

of a blue sky, then a hand, and then it was clear. K'eray assumed the position of washing her hands, and then she looked at Arya as if she had

just seen her. "Yes, what is it?" Arya took two steps forward, so that she was all the way in the room and closed the door and locked it. "Alright

I told you I wasn't going to make you tell me who this was, under those two conditions, one of which you just broke. You can't possibly be in

love and care about your training at the same time." K'eray shook her head, tears in her eyes. "Wh...What are you going to do? I can still see

him can't I?" Arya thought about it. She had been charged by the queen to train this young elf, and how far would it go once she met him in real

life.

"I don't know, K'eray. You broke our deal. There **has** to be a punishment. You broke the rules. Do you think it would be fair not for me to in force

the punishment?" K'eray looked at her in faint hope. "Maybe, maybe, just this once, you could let it slide?" Arya tossed her long black hair. "I'm

sorry K'eray, but no. There has to be a punishment to your actions, so that you aren't tempted to do it again." K'eray lowered her head and

sniffled, resigning herself to the inescapable. "Alright. Be merciful." Arya frowned. This was the one part of being a mentor that was not as good

as the other parts. She hated punishing another. Then a thought occurred to her. "Or maybe you could be merciful on yourself. Why did you do

that knowing you'd get caught and punished?" K'eray looked up at her mentor defiantly. A small glare of angry light shot up in her eye. "Why are

you allowed to love someone, but for me it's like be allowed to murder?" Arya reached out with her mind and soothed the elf's nerves, he anger,

and to Arya's surprise, her over-powering love for the half-elf she had been talking to, which burned with the power of a thousand suns. "It is

not like that. Listen and I will explain." Arya got a brush and started to brush the young elf's hair, calming her. Like a mother would for her

daughter, Arya ran the brush through K'eray's long black. "You see, there is a war going on, and the queen needs powerful elves if we're to win.

So then, my task is to train you until you are powerful enough to stand in the black stain of battle and not be killed instantly. So it does me no

good if you go after a romantic relationship with this half-elf." K'eray jerked away from her and looked back at her mentor, a cold gleam in her

eyes. "It's not his fault his parents weren't both elven." Arya gently coaxed the elf around so that she could again run the brush through her

hair. K'eray's shoulders and arms eventually relaxed. "Now I understand that. However, wither or not his parents were both elven, it does not

erase the fact his is not pure elf. I am not saying that makes him better or worse. I have a half-elf as a mate and I love him with all my heart."

K'eray relaxed her head against Arya's knee and looked up at her. "Eragon?" Arya nodded with approval. She would have found out anyway.

"Very good. That was well guessed. Now I need you to tell me, what is your friend's name?" K'eray thought for a moment and then whispered,

"His name is Brom." Arya stopped as if someone had punched her in the gut. Brom? Her son? Trying to hide her shook she continued talking. "R-

Really? Who are his parents?" K'eray shrugged. "Not really sure. He never told me. All he said was that they had left a while ago and had yet to

return." Arya tried to order the thought. _Okay, it might not be your __Brom__. _"What does he look like?" K'eray looked back at her and smiled. "Sorry,

can't give out any information other then his name." Then she grew sober and said, "So, what is my punishment?" Arya turned her mind back to

the present. She had heard her son tell K'eray that he loved her. "What do you think would be a good punishment?"

K'eray thought for a moment, and then hopefully looked back at her master. "Well whatever you do don't let me talk to Brom sometime in the

next hour. I would hate that." Arya smiled at her apprentice. _They're always so hopeful. Maybe because my son loves her I should let it slide_. "Alright

I'm going to share a little secret with you." K'eray frowned for an instant at the change of subject, but then looked interested. Arya leaned over

and whispered, "A little while ago Eragon filled my belly with a little child. Do you know who that child is today?" K'eray looked away for a minute

and then shook her head. Arya said in an even quieter voice, "His name is Brom." K'eray jumped back in astonishment. "You're Brom's mother?"

Arya nodded. "I am. I'll tell you what. You can continue seeing him, and even go as far as 'I love yous', but I want an oath in the Ancient

Language on your elven blood not to let it go any farther then that for the duration of you're apprenticeship." K'eray nodded her head solemnly,

knowing the gravity of what she was about to say. **(AN: I don't know how to say that oath in the elven tongue, so I'm not even going to try **

**and feed you the crap that I do, and so as a result I'm not even going to try. BTW Arvindr, I just made that into the word ice. It probably **

**isn't that in the Ancient Language.) **K'eray swore that she wouldn't. Satisfied Arya laid a hand on her head. "You are a good apprentice, K'eray,

and I don't want you to spoil it." K'eray nodded and Arya lifted her hand. "Can I contact Brom again?" Arya smiled at thought that she thought

that such a question was necessary. "Yes, but I want to talk to him, in private." K'eray lifted a hand to the doorknob and then stopped and

stared at her mentor. "You're not going to hurt him, are you?" Arya laughed. "No, I can't." K'eray left and Arya said the words for scrying and

talking. Brom appeared on the water, tapping his hands on the ground impatiently. When he saw the water clear he, obviously thinking it was

K'eray, said, "Finally, I was begun to think my mother had..." He stopped as he saw Arya. "Oh...umm.....hello mother." Arya stared at him with

some amount of amusement in her. "It's alright; I did nothing to your precious love." Red spots appeared on his checks and he began to protest

when Arya raised a hand. "Listen. I will allow you to continue talking to K'eray, and even accept your love for her, but I won't allow you to please

her in a sexual manner. Understood?" Brom nodded. "So...so...where is K'eray?" Arya rolled her eyes to the sky. She called K'eray back in left.

She could hear them talking.

She went to the window to go back to Eragon and tell him they would be a while, when the window slammed shut. She turned around to see

Kroger walking in. He had just spoken a word to close a tightly secure the window. Drunkenness was plastered all over his short and clumsy

movements, which looked ridicules coming from an elf. "Kroger, open the window, now." He grinned at her and said in a slow and slurred tone

"No I don't think I will." He gestured at the larger of the two beds and said, "Come over here and lie down." A cold line of horror began to work

its way up her spine. Her palm began to glow with a green light. One touch of that green light would send him flying back a half mile. Kroger

laughed and said, "What do you think you'll accomplish with that? I'm much stronger since the last time I pleased you're worthless hide." Arya

snarled and tightened her fist and it flared with the power in it. "Touch me and I will kill you." Kroger leaned his head back and laughed. He

lowered his head and spoke around thirteen words in the Ancient Language. Arya yelped as she was lifted off the ground and the folds of her

dress began to unlace themselves. Arya fought back with everything she had but he was too strong for her. In less then a minute she had used

up nearly all her strength trying to fight him off. Soon she was completely naked in his hungry view. He held out an arm in her direction and

moved it to the bed. With his arm she moved and walked beside her rubbing his hand over one of her breasts. He laid her down and snapped

his fingers. His cloths flew off him like they had been pulled by strings. He grabbed her by the hips and plunged himself inside of her, and she

screamed.

"Shut up and like it Arya. Arya. Arya, what's wrong?" Kroger faded and she found herself lying outside the door to the bathroom. K'eray stood

over her looking down at her with worry in her eyes. "What happened?" Arya sat up. _It was just a dream. A nightmare actually. _She was shaking

a little. "Nothing. I must have fallen asleep because I've been so tired lately. I guess I had a nightmare." K'eray tilted her head to one side.

"What was it about?" Arya gulped as the memory of the nightmare hit her. "I don't remember." _I only wish I could forget. _At that moment Kroger

walked in with a bag slung across his arm. He looked at K'eray and then at Arya, who was still on the floor. He walked over with concern and sat

beside her. It was like letting a giant spider crawl all over her. "Arya, are you alright." She pushed him away and stood. "I'm fine. Let's go.

Eragon had a reunion with an old friend from his village, and she has offered us her home. K'eray say good-bye to Brom." She forced up a warm

smile. "He wouldn't like it if you just ended the spell, would he?" K'eray jumped up and nearly ran as fast as she could to the bathroom, which

left Arya alone with Kroger. He laid a hand on her bare-to-the-shoulder-arm and she forced herself to accept the contact of their flesh_. Queen. If _

_you want to be a queen act like it. What crime has he committed recently enough for you to dislike him? All you've got is a bad dream, produced at _

_random from your memories_. Kroger seemed surprised at her calm and ran his hand down her arm to her hand, where he entwined his fingers

with hers. He leaned his head over and kissed her forehead. Arya hand to bit the inside of her check to let him. _Customary. It is customary for an _

_advisor to kiss the Queen, or Princess, on either the hand or forehead. It is legal. _Kroger seemed surprised and happy at how far he was getting.

Kroger's eyes sparkled. He raised a hand to his mouth and bit open a vein, so that blood covered his thumb. Arya's heart filled with horror as

she remembered a rule of the Queen's advises. Each of them, once a month, had to prick open a vein, and lay their thumb on the Queen's chest,

to symbolize that they offered her their loyalty to the point of death. Kroger extended a hand to her chest and Arya tightened her fist, preparing

herself to use magic if he made a move to rape her again. His hand reached her breast he laid his thumb down on it and pressed, so that the

blood of his veins was over her heart. Then he took her left breast in his hand and ran a bloody thumb over it. Arya gasped. The sensation

coming to her was not pain, but pleasure. She glared at Kroger and he moved his hand all the up and down her breast and finally removed his

hand and put it again at his side, healing it. Arya did not understand. Who could it please her?

She glared at him for a moment then said, "How?" Kroger smiled. "Because this time you weren't forced to accept it, rather it is something done

mealy as tradition." Arya took a step backward. "That doesn't explain." Kroger reached out and took her hand. She flinched. "Why do you fear

me so? The Arya I know is not afraid of anything, much less something that ended nigh on fifty-five years ago. Come now; drop your hatred and

your fear. I won't do that again, I swear on my elven blood. Drop your anger and hatred and fear of me, they are only holding you down." Arya

swallowed. What should she do? _A Queen. A Queen would forgive him for something that ended a long time ago. _Arya accept his hand on hers and

entwined his fingers with hers. "Alright, if you swear on your elven blood, I forgive you." Kroger smiled and nodded. "That was a queenly thing

you just did." He walked past her into the hall way, where K'eray was waiting. Arya was about to fallow, when she heard a low chuckle behind

her. Outside on the balcony sat Kolembum purring as if chuckling. His eyes flashed white, the same color as Solembum's when he told Arya the

prophecy, and Blagden's when he told her the other parts. In her mind their came the voice of all three of them and superimposed over them

was a louder voice. _And so the bridge to your castle begins to lower and so enters the Carrier. Soon you will burn! _


	3. Explanation

**Sorry if it seems like I'm taking longer and longer to update. I had to go on a serious of vacations but I'm done with them now, and should return to my usual speed. Also, due to popular request I've reactivated the anonymous review setting, meaning that anyone that reads it can review. However it's my right as the author of this story to immediately delete a anonymous review. Anyways here's the next chapter!**

Explanation

The three of them packed their belongings and left the inn, making their way back to the place where Eragon had re-met Megan. K'eray quickly

started to complain about her tiredness and Arya picked her up onto her back and carried her while they walked. Arya's heart was still pumping

in her chest from Kroger's touch. She could not comprehend why she had enjoyed it. He had raped her so many times, and yet now, 75 years

later, his touch was as pleasing to her as Faolin's. _Perhaps it was a spell. _She skimmed through her knowledge of magic and found no hint of

being able to make someone forget memories in such a fast amount. True someone could wipe a person's memory out, but not that immense

quantity. Such a task was beyond even Kroger. _He did say that he had grown stronger 'since the last time he pleased my worthless hide'. But then _

_again that was just a nightmare of him. _Arya was confused. She still feared Kroger, due to the things he had done to her, but at the same time

she almost felt the same for him as she did for Eragon. She realized that with self disgust. _What is wrong with me? How could I possibly care for _

_him? _Arya stored the thought away for a later time. They were nearing the restaurant now and she didn't want to give Megan the satisfaction of

laughing at her for having to gather her thoughts when she first talking to her. She cast a sidelong glance at Kroger and say him smiling with

warm affection at her. She snarled as two thoughts entered her mind, both conflicting with each other. One side of her wanted to smile back at

him, the other wanted to shout at him to stop. He laid a hand on her back, right in the center of her shoulder blades, and whispered in her ear,

"Again, and I can never say this enough, I am sorry for what I did." Arya wanted to shove him away but she thought, _Queen. Act like a Queen if _

_you want to be one. _She looked through her queen-like available options. Only one can to her, and she glared inwardly at herself for even

thinking that an option. She sighed, giving in to her diplomatic responsibilities. She leaned over and kissed him twice. Once on the lips and once

on the brow. The elven form of accepting an apology. Kroger seemed incredible surprised, and pleased, as her lips brushed over his. His head

jerked forward and he kissed her again. Arya pulled back and punched him. No matter what her insides did she loved Eragon, not Kroger and

she refused to let him get more and more comfortable around her. The more and more he did the more and more the chances went up that he

would feel okay with raping her. Kroger backed off and rubbed the spot where her fist, loaded with all the power of an elf, had landed on him.

He lowered his head, shamed-faced. "I'm sorry. I offer no excuse except that your lips are very seductive, and I temporarily lost control of

myself." Arya snarled. There were no conflicting thoughts in her mind this time. He had done the wrong thing and had openly admitted to it. "So

long as my 'seductive lips' do not tempt you farther then you are able, then I see no reason to punish you. However, let it happen again and I

will see to it that you are brought to the proper punishment for your actions." Kroger nodded. A small light of hope light up in his eyes. "Well if

that's the case could I at least kiss you once more?" Arya thought for a moment. _Well there's no queen-like reason to let him. _"No." With that they

went into the restaurant that Megan and Eragon were in. She saw Eragon sitting at a table, talking to Megan.

The girl was leaning back onto Eragon, laying a hand on his chest while she whispered in his ear. Eragon did not react positively or negatively,

simply acted as if she was not there. That seemed to amuse and further Megan's wants, what ever they were. Arya walked up and with inhuman

speed and strength pulled Megan of of Eragon, and took her rightful place by his side. Megan was surprised, but not upset at their sudden

arrival. On the contrary she stared up at Arya in awe and interest. She stood and said, "What are you?" Arya's mouth twisted in a smile. "I will

explain what I am, along with my companions, are when we reach your house." Eragon stared blankly at a mug of ale in his hand, obviously

trying to ignore Megan at all costs. Megan tried to hold back a grin, but it spread on her face none the less. "Well, actually, my uncle came by

earlier and said that we only have room for three." She pointed at herself. "One." She turned her hand and pointed it at a table where a man,

Ivor, sat. "Two." She turned again so she was facing Eragon and Arya. She pointed at Eragon. "Three. Oh dear. It seems as though Eragon is

the only one that can stay with us." The mug Eragon previously held rattled on the table as he dropped it. He looked up at Megan, through hair

that had grown to some lengths, and rapped and arm around Arya. "Where she goes, I go. If you want me to stay at your house, you'd better

make arrangements to let her stay as well." Megan seemed slightly upset, at first, but the shifted her weight to the other leg, and with that

shift, her barred emotions. "Alright Eragon. If it was anyone else I would say that it is my house. But for you-" She leaned over the table,

pushing her elbow into Arya's face, and whispered seductively in his ear-"my house is your house, and my bed is your bed if you want." Then

she withdrew and walked back a few paces so that she could lean on a near by wall. The way she leaned against it, with her whole body nearly

at obtuse angle, it left her dress slacking in one part, so that a portion of her breast stuck out of her to big of a shirt, and left it in Eragon's full

view. Eragon did not even cast a glance in her direction. Through her magical ability Arya heard Megan think, Y_ou're playing hard now, but just wait _

_until we're alone. _Arya knew it was discourteous and offensive to intrude on anothers thoughts, but she had to know what the young women

was thinking. Arya stood up and sat, "We need to go." Megan nodded and stood up straight. With her the party of five left for Megan's house,

which took them an hour and a half to reach. Megan walked next to Eragon the whole time, pushing Arya out of the way when ever she

approached. Finally they reached her house. Arya, for some reason, thought she had seen the place before. Looking to her left, rage filled her.

Not a hundred feet away was the exact same restaurant that they had left from. Before she could say anything, K'eray bumped into her. "I'm

sorry, Arya." Arya went inside the building and found herself in a large six room apartment. There was a kitchen, bathroom, and four bedrooms_. _

_'Could only fit three_.' _Ha! _

Megan took Eragon's bags and took them to one of the rooms. She did that with all the others, except Arya who put hers in the one Megan had

left Eragon's. Eragon was sitting by the fire, which roared at his word, so Megan openly glared at Arya. She tossed her long blond hair and said,

"I'm sorry, but you're going to have to take those bags out of there. That's my room and you're not sleeping in it. You're sleeping in Ivor's room."

Eragon closed his eyes and snapped his fingers. With a whirlwind of movement and wind, Arya's and Eragon's bags were in an empty room. He

stood up and said, "I'm sorry Megan, but I have been charged with this woman's well being and it is important to stay close to her if at all

possible. Megan nodded and simply said, "Fine. Now explain what you guys are, and how Eragon did what he just did." Arya sat down close to

Eragon and stared into the fire. It did not heat her forehead, because Eragon had laid upon her powerful wards from being to hot. She looked at

Kroger and K'eray, both of whom had just sat down. "Take off your bandannas." The two elves reached behind their heads and gripped the ties

that held the strip of cloth to their head, hiding their pointed ears. The straps feel and Megan gasped. "Elves?" Arya undid hers, as did Eragon.

Megan seemed especially surprised to see his, as she had grown up with them being curved. She walked over to him and sat so close to him

that a piece of paper could not slip between them. Jealousy filled Arya, but she suppressed it. Megan whispered, "What happened to you?"

Eragon cleared his throat and said, "I tell you this as a symbol of trust, don't break that trust, which means do not share this with anyone." Then

he told her of all the events that had happened since he left Carvahall. He ended with his learning of the power word. Megan seemed to think

that he would share it with her. "So what is the word?" Eragon looked at her as if she had asked something that made him doubt her

intelligence, which rightfully she had. "You should know better then that." Megan nodded, as if just starting to understand the stupidity of her

question. She waved a hand at Kroger, Arya and K'eray as if they were statues of the real people. "So who are they?" Eragon looked at Arya,

and for a slight sliver of a second, showed all his love for her. He pointed at her and said, "That is the daughter of the queen of the elves,

Izlanzadi." Megan did not even look at Arya, which meant that even with the knowledge she did not hold Arya in high esteem. He pointed at

K'eray. "That is her apprentice." Megan did not even seem to realize the elf mattered. Lastly Eragon's finger pointed at Kroger, at which point he

tightened his hand. Arya thought he was going to say something bad about him but he just simply said, "And that is the most powerful elf in

Alagaesia, excluding the queen." Megan looked at Kroger with some small amount of interest, a great deal more then she had shown Arya, and

said to him, "Well it is a pleasure to meet you." Kroger inclined his head. "Atra esterní ono thelduin."

Megan looked confusedly at Eragon. Eragon leaned forward so he could see past Arya at Kroger. For the first time he looked at Kroger with a

smile. "You know she can't speak the words of power." Kroger smiled back and said, "No, but that does not mean that I should abandon

courtesy." Eragon leaned back and said, "What Kroger said means, 'May good fortune rule over you.' It's apart of the elven language." Megan

nodded slowly, as if she still didn't understand but wanted to get past the subject. Eragon looked at her and said, "Oh, right, you haven't been

properly introduced to these three. He looked with love at Arya. "This is Arya." He looked at Kroger, "And that one, the one that spook in elven,

is Kroger." Megan dipped her head. Eragon turned to K'eray, who sat in the middle of Arya and Kroger. "And this is K'eray." Megan's eyes

brightened as they fell onto the young elf. She walked over, shoved Arya out of the way, and sat down beside her. "Oh my, you're a pretty

young thing. I bet you have a boyfriend by now." K'eray's eyes tightened in confusion. "Of course I have friends that are male. Don't you?"

Eragon shook his head and stood up. "She means are you in love with someone yet?" K'eray lowered her gaze to the band that had covered her

forehead, as if wishing to put it back on. She was about to answer when Arya stepped in. "Is it not a girl's right to conceal that information if it is

her wish?" Megan looked at Arya as if she was an inconsequential speak. Kroger stood and said, "I agree with Arya. If our young K'eray wanted

to tell us, she would. As Lindra wrote, 'Do not beat on an black ant hill, merely for the sake of finding what is inside.' I think if she wasn't in love

then she would have no problem saying it." It looked like he was about to say more when someone shouted from the other side of the wall. It

was the sound of an old man yelling, "I swear if you don't shut the......up I my gona go over their and beat you so.....hard you're gona have

to......before you.....you mother.....son of a......If you don't shut up right now I'm gona beat the......living......out of your.....hide!" Megan looked

panicked and then looked at the others and shouted, "Lie on the ground, now!" They all went down on their backs and fourteen darts shout into

the room over them. The old man spook again. "Yeah and maybe that......teach you to.....shut the..... up when I'm trying to.......sleep! Shoot

man; come in here trying to sleep and she come in and...." His voice faded into the distance and Megan stood up. Whispering now she said,

"Alright, we had better go to sleep, now!" Eragon nodded at started to crawl to the room where he had left his bags. Megan grabbed his

shoulder. "Oh no you don't. That's the room he could get at you easiest. No ones sleeping in there."

Eragon glared up at her and whispered, "Where am I going to sleep?" Megan thought for a moment and then brightened. "Well that All Powerful

Elf, Kroger, can sleep with Arya, because he'll have the easiest time protecting her. As for you, I need some protection as well." She looked at

the small hole from which the darts had come. "Old man's insane. If you hear deep inhales get behind something solid that's in between you and

that hole." Before Eragon could say anything she dragged him off to her room. Panic gripped Arya. She cast a glance at Kroger who was looking

at her with his blue eyes. He went over to her and laid a hand on her shoulder. K'eray lay down on the couch. "I'm sleeping her if it's alright."

Kroger nodded and gently pushed Arya's shoulder to their room. "Come on. We've got a long way to go tomorrow and we need to sleep." Slowly

she walked to the room, looking at it as if she were a pig and it a slaughter house. When they were in the room Kroger closed the door and

window and lay down on the bed. Arya stayed as close to the door as possible. Kroger's shoulders slumped and he sighed. "What's wrong?"

She looked at him and then at the two person bed. "I'm scared." Kroger looked at her as if she was talking nonsense. "What are you scared of?"

A choked sob came from Arya. "I'm scared of you. I don't want to get in that bed because I'm afraid I'll wake up with fewer cloths on then when I

went to sleep." Comprehension spread on Kroger's face. He stood up and walked over to her. He put a hand on her shoulder and gently rubbed

it. "Arya I won't do anything to you. The fire that burned for you inside me has burned itself to ashes. I no longer have the desire to force myself

onto you." Arya looked at him. He looked so much like Faolin that they were practically identical. "You look so much like Faolin." Kroger shrugged.

"We're twins." Arya nodded as if that were obvious, and it was. "You know what you did to me, and how it made my life a nightmare

thereafter?" Kroger nodded. "I understand now the error of my ways. Faolin always got what he wanted. He got what he wanted and my power

grew stronger every day. I'm not much older then you Arya. I'd say less then a decade. When we were growing up Faolin got everything his

heart desired. I couldn't stand to let him have you too." Arya was upset to hear him talk like that but did not broach the topic. "Why do you

peruse me so?" Kroger again shrugged. "It's love. Like pain it needs no description." Still rubbing her shoulder he slowly moved his hand from

her shoulder to her chest. There his hand hovered a quarter of an inch over her breast. He leaned over so his mouth was beside her ear. "You

know that I love you, right?" Arya shuddered as his hand closed on her breast and started to massage it. "Relax. All will be well." Arya forced her

limbs to relax. "Now, come on. We have a large distance to cover tomorrow." She walked, in a trance, to the bed. "You can't sleep in your cloths.

It would be uncomfortable. Take them off." She nodded dumbly and stripped herself. She got into the bed and Kroger got in beside her. The first

time he touched her naked breast a river of memories suddenly shot into her mind. Her eyes popped open as she again felt Eragon's touch, and

heard Eragon's voice. As she remembered those things she realized that Kroger had put her under a trance. She pulled away from him and

punched him square in the face. He jerked and said, "What the..."Arya jumped out of the bed, put on her cloths and went to Eragon's room.


	4. Shadow

Shadow

Eragon flipped the bottom on his pack which held Brisingr. After his night with Megan and Arya in the same room he had barely gotten on ounce

of sleep. Now Megan insisted that she see his weapon. He pulled it out slowly. Megan watched in awe. "How is the metal blue?" Eragon waved

it around. "It's elvish. An elven smith, older then the Riders themselves, made it for me. Watch." He raised the sword upward and barked,

"Brisingr!" The sword erupted into blue flames. Megan squeaked in alarm and scrambled back. "How did it do that?" Eragon shrugged. He was

not sure himself. "I don't know really." He looked to his left and saw Arya walking to him, with Kroger trying to keep pace with her and talk to her

at the same time. She stopped in front of the two and Arya said, "Eragon we need to talk." Kroger looked frightened as Eragon's eyes turned to

him. "I-I-I didn't do anything!" Eragon nodded and muttered, "Thought this might come up sooner or later." He waved a hand at Kroger. "Shut."

Kroger's mouth snapped closed. He walked with Arya to a low hill with a small tree at the top. There Eragon said, "Grow." The tree grew rapidly

until it provided a good amount of shade. Eragon sat and held out a hand to Arya. She took it and sat. "So what happened?" Arya snorted as if

she knew Eragon could guess well enough. "I'm sure you are already aware of what happened. He put a trance on me and touched me in," she

waved a hand to the sky, "in a rather bad place." Eragon looked back at Kroger, who was talking with Megan. "If he does it again then I'll send

him some two or three hundred miles away and let him find his own way to the Varden." Arya gulped. Was it not sufficient to do that now?

"Alright." They fell into a quiet silence, simply enjoying being alone with each other. Then Eragon said, "So who do you think will be the one that

will join us?" Arya looked over at him and then pulled her arms over her legs. "I thought that was obvious. I figured that it would be Megan."

Eragon looked back at her and then laid a hand on hers. "Does she worry you?" Arya's eyes glittered. "No she doesn't." Eragon withdrew his

hand. "Good." His eyes tightened. "I fell like there's something pulling me towards the main part of the city." Arya stood up. "That's a Riders

instinct." When he stayed sat she said, "Well don't just ignore it! Get up and follow it!" Eragon jumped up with a sigh and walked off in the

direction his feeling told him to go. He wondered the roads for hours, crossing building to building, side street to side street, saw countless

hungry and begging people, and once and only once passed by the prison that had kept him in Gilead. By noon he had not found what he was

supposed to be looking for. Then his feeling changed. It went from looking for something, to feeling like he was right beside on object of great

impotence. He looked around but saw nothing but the walls of an ally that he had entered. There was something sitting on a trash can on the

far side of it. Eragon tried to make it out but it was to dark, even for him to see. How that thing managed to live in it was a mystery to Eragon.

The thing uncurled and sat up, laying a hand on the ground.

As it did it looked up at Eragon with blue slighted eyes. It walked to him and a small boy walked out of the light. He had black hair, and as

previously stated, blue slighted eyes. In a husky accent he said, "Are you the one that I am to go with? He said it was a man of great power, of

flames. Yet all I see is a boy of no more then twenty." Eragon drew Brisingr out a half inch. There was something off about this kid. "What is your

name?" The boy shrugged. "Haven't a clue. My friends, what few I have, call me Shadow. Wither or not that is my name I don't know." Eragon

kept his hand on his sword and looked for a path to walk away. "How can you see in there?" The boy laughed. "Do you think anyone could see

in there? No I can't see at all." He raised his blue slitted eyes directly into Eragon's. "I'm blind." Eragon took several steps backward. If he was

blind how did he know where to direct his gaze at him? The boy lazily walked to him and sidestepped a piece of wood that even Eragon could

not see. "How did you do that?" The boy stopped and smiled, almost to himself, as if he was wondering if Eragon would ever ask something

interesting. "I do not see like you do, but I can see. The shadows are my friends. They see for me. If I am touching a shadow then I can see as

clearly as you do, if not more clearly. That's why they call me Shadow." Eragon sheathed Brisingr. Obviously this boy was no threat to him. In fact

he could be of great use. The boy's eyes popped suddenly. "Oh yes, there's something I'm to give you. It's at the back of the ally." Eragon

expected him to turn around, but he didn't. Instead he held out a hand and his shadow, which had been lying on the ground, slithered up his

arm and into the air over his hand. Eragon watched in amazement as the boy reached into the shadow. He looked past him and saw another

shadow some twenty feet away, projecting his hand. Shadow moved his arm and the hand on the other side of the ally followed his movement.

The hand grabbed some long package and pulled out of the shadow and Shadow suddenly held the item. "What was that?" Shadow looked up

at him. "I am of a rare and powerful bloodline. Each of us born with it had a power, unique among the others. My power was the manipulation of

shadows. For example," He raised a hand at Eragon's shadow and it moved. The part of the shadow that was his arm lifted and as Eragon

watched it, he was completely unaware that his arm was moving with the shadow. Shadow tightened his eyes and moved his hand slightly to

the left. Eragon's shadow arm moved towards his shadow head and he jumped back as he hit himself. "What in the-" Shadow overrode him.

"Next time pay attention and I won't have to do that." Eragon stared at him. "Are you the one that is to go with us?" Shadow reached out with

an arm, the package on it, and said, "Obviously." Eragon took it and unwrapped it. A box came after the wrapping and he opened. Eragon

reached inside it and grabbed something that was cold and hard.

He pulled and slowly a Riders sword was reviled. "It's Arvindr. Oromis sent it to me, for you." Eragon looked at the sword, then at the boy, then

back at the sword. He wanted to ask how the boy knew Oromis, but held his tongue. "Come on. Let's go back to the house." He led the boy to

Megan's house. _Now I hold the sword of flames and the sword of ice. _When they got back to the house he opened the door and pushed Shadow

through into the room. "I can see, you know." Eragon grunted and kept moving. Arya was sitting in a chair, opposite to Kroger, who was talking

quietly, but quickly. They both looked at him when he came into view. "Eragon who is that dirt little bug?" Eragon walked in and lifted the young

boy into a chair. "His name is Shadow. He's the one that will be joining us." They both reacted with surprise. Shadow looked at Arya and said,

"Hello, elf. I am Shadow. You must be Arya. I wish I could see you but I can't really. I'm blind." Arya looked up at Eragon. She mouthed, "Him?

Really?" Eragon nodded. "Shadow, show them your abilities." Shadow looked at Arya and said, "Tell me something in this room that you want."

Arya looked doubtful then told him that she would like mirror on the other side of the room. Shadow held out a hand and his shadow again

slithered up his arm and stayed in the air. Kroger and Arya watched with the same amount of amazement and awe as Eragon had. A second

shadow lifted itself in front of the mirror and Shadow pushed his hand through the shadow in front of him and grabbed the mirror. He pulled it

back at the second shadow fell to the ground. He handed Arya the mirror and grinned. "That's only one of my powers." Arya watched with intent

interest. "Let us see more of your abilities." Shadow took a deep inhale and concentrated. He suddenly darkened until none of them could see

him then he fell onto the ground and became virtually a shadow. The shadow moved to a door and Shadow reappeared. Then he closed his eyes

and his shadow separated from him and went several feet away. It started to pull up from the ground until it stood as tall as Kroger. Then it

started to move and take on color. Before Eragon could think he was facing a perfect imitation of Kroger. "I can control it at will. I can mold it like

clay into any person I want." He flicked one of his fingers and the figure walked around in a perfect show of real life. "In addition, and I have

found this very helpful, as long as it is in the form of that person, I can read that persons thoughts and see his memories. The best part about

that is even if he is a magician he can not fell it. The only problem is that is so tiring that I would have to spend a week in bed to recover."

Eragon stood and walked over to the fake Kroger. "Turn him into me." The thing bubbled for a moment then morphed into Eragon's exact image.

"Can you make more then one of these?" Shadow sighed. "What am I, a convenience store! I've tried making multiple shadow fakes and my limit

is two." Eragon smiled. This kid was going to be very useful. He sat down and said, "So you will come with us?" Shadow sat against a wall and

covered his face. In a soft tone he whispered, "I have to. I have to find the two people that left me here. They are my brothers. I've been left to

fend for myself." Eragon crossed one leg of the other. "So there are others that have this unique power?"

Shadow sniffed and said, "Not my power, but different ones. Hyro could manipulate light and Fifrie could manipulate metal. I don't know my

special name, people just call me Shadow. Hyro was the oldest of the three of us. He was always acting like our father, and Fifrie was the most

like a big brother to me. He would carry me for miles if my feet began to hurt. We were travelers for as far back as I can remember. We went

from town to town, amazing people with our incredible abilities." He snarled. "Then Gailbatorix heard of us and sent someone to capture us, but

we easily beat him off. We thought ourselves save and then someone with black hair and a red sword jumped us and took us to Gailbatorix.

Once there he bargained for our service. Hyro spat at his feet and said he would sooner die. Fifrie did the same and I did after him. Then I

opened a shadow portal to another place, but Gailbatorix through me off balance and I sent them both to different places. Now you're here to

help me find them. Without them, I'm hopeless. If our bloodline dies, then you will find it hard to beat that muddle headed Gailbatorix." Eragon

thought for a moment then said, "How many of you are there left?" Shadow raised his head and said, "Not many. The ones left probably

converted their appearances into something to blend in."

"Is there anyway to find them," Eragon could not help asking. Shadow tossed his heir. "No. Each of us look like what we want. It's impossible to

tell where they are." Eragon sighed, disappointed. That group of people could be useful. He stood up and walked over to Shadow. "We'll help

you if you help us. Will you fight for the Varden?" Shadow looked up at him, a tear in his eye. "Yes. If it will find my brothers." Eragon put a hand

on his shoulder. "I can't promise that it will find them, but it will be a start. Meanwhile, how about I train you to understand and harness your

power, as well as sharpen it?" Shadow looked down blindly at his hands. "You can do that?" Eragon nodded. "I have all magic in my hand, and I

think I could help you." Shadow looked back at him, a faint gleam of hope in his eyes. "Could you give me back my eyes?" Eragon looked at him

and smiled. He sat down beside him. "I could. But if I did you would lose your abilities to manipulate shadows. I think part of the reason you are

so good at it is because you need shadows to even see. You need them as much as they need you, so I don't want to ruin that." Shadow

nodded, looking disappointed. "Well then you can train me to help that change. I want to be in charge of my shadow, not it is in charge of me."

Eragon nodded. "I can do that."

* * *

That night, the night before the left, Eragon awoke, his palm itching. He sat up and gasped to see that he was no longer in his room, but in a

star lit clearing. Ten dragons and ten figures stood in front of him. _The Rizdar. _Eragon stood up and looked for Eragon 1. He stood beside a

massive silver mound, which was his dragon. A female elf with a giant purple dragon walked forward. Eragon 1 walked up to her and hugged

her. The two walked together to Eragon, holding hands. "Greetings. My name is Fayla. I am Eragon's mate. I am here to give you a piece of

wisdom. I remember when Eragon first whispered that powerful word in my ear. The power that flew through my veins. I used that power so

much that it went dead. What I mean by that is I used the word so much that even it could not continue to power itself. So the word inside me

fell asleep and it took five centuries for it to awaken. The word inside of you has a limit Eragon. Lift or move or reshape something to big and

even it will fail. Don't use it unless the occasion demands it." Eragon 1 smiled as the elf walked back to the others. The turned to Eragon.

"Gorgeous isn't she? No female compares to her." Eragon smiled at the helpless in love elf in front of him. "Is there something you want

to tell me?" Eragon 1 still looked at Fayla. "Yeah, yeah, that-that's why I brought you here. I want you to met the members of the Rizdar."

He looked at Eragon. "I assume you want to know them?" Eragon nodded. "Alright." He led him to where a young elf stood, tickling the lower

jaw of his emerald dragon. "This is my younger brother, Gigna. His dragon is Fy'nari." Eragon bowed to them both. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

Eragon 1 went to the next ones, a over large yellow dragon and a stern looking elf. "This stiff old dog is named Sala. His dragon is Ulay." Eragon

bowed but said nothing. The next human was a female and very, very beautiful. Her dragon was the same color as Saphira. "This is Neanu, my

sister. Her dragon," he smiled, "is named Saphira." Eragon bowed again and said, "It is an honor to meet you." They

continued to the next one, a human. His dragon was pitch black. "This is Galenam. His dragon is named Silver, as ironic and idiotic as that

sounds." The moved on to the next, a female human "This is Granger, Guardian of the Sea. Her dragon is named Unbitir." Eragon again bowed.

The moved on to a human. "This is Ky'la. His dragon is named Brinr." The dragon was brown and looked old. They moved to the next a pink

dragon and a woman. "This is Kella, and by far the most enthusiastic among us. Her dragon is Pinkie. She really didn't have much time to think of

a name." There was only two left, a human and an elf. They moved to the human, an old man.

His dragon was a light green. "This is Jura. His dragon is Omin." Eragon 1 moved to the last elf with caution. When he got in front of him he

bowed to them. "This is the oldest of the Rizdar, and the Finder and Guardian of the Power Word. As such I had to have his permission to give it

to you. He sees you in high regard. His name is Rigrad. His dragon is unnamed in his power. We just call him Master." The old elf stirred and said,

"Eragon. Who is this?" Eragon bowed to him and said, "He is Eragon. The Chosen? You do remember him right?" Rigrad snorted and hit Eragon 1

softly on the head. "Of course I remember, I'm not an old man! I'm an old elf, and there is a big difference between the two!" Eragon1 bowed

even lower. "I'm sorry for making implications on you're memory, my Master." The old elf waved his staff. "Go on then." Eragon 1 stood and

walked away with Eragon trailing behind. "Bid'Daum feels sort of guilty for causing you so much trouble. He wants me to apologize for him, the

little chicken." Eragon was confused. "How was Bid'Daum caused me trouble?" Eragon 1 turned his head up and laughed. "In all seriousness it's

Arya he caused the most trouble." Eragon shock his head. Would he ever understand what Eragon 1 was saying? "That doesn't answer my

question. How has he caused either of us trouble?" Eragon 1 was distracted for a moment by Fayla bending over. "Well I have to go. Soon, very

soon, I shall return in flesh to turn back the sands of time and to return that which was broken into it's wonderful nature." Eragon jolted upright

and found himself sweating in his bed. Arya sat up from the other side of the room. "What's wrong?" Eragon shock his head, panting. "Nothing.

Bad dream." Eragon lay back down and tried to close his eyes and sleep but Fayla's voice still rang in his mind_. Don't __use it to much. It will die_.

Then Eragon 1 spoke in his mind. A deep comforting voice. _Sleep Eragon. Many hardships yet await you, along with great lose in many numbers. _

_Sleep, so that soon you may cast down the Evil One. _Lastly he said, _"Ganga eom fyrn, eom taka freohr eom Du Fjand." _

* * *

**I changed this chapter, becuase I didn't like it. The last line, execpt for one word that I was forced to look up in a norse dicinatory, means, "Go to war, to give death to The Foe."**


	5. Love Talk

Love Talk

They left the following day. Shadow used his power to get them some money, through street shows, and they left with a large sack of coins. Eragon could have just made them with the power word, but ever since the Rizdar's visit he was terrified by the prospect of using, and by extension, losing the power of the word all together. _What would I do without it? _He thought about Saphira and wondered if she had yet to lay her egg. Kroger walked as close to Arya as possible, talking to her whenever they stopped for a break, and constantly glared at Eragon, but why was beyond Eragon. _I wonder why he hates me so. He doesn't even know that Arya and I are mates. Thinking of that I wonder how she'll tell Faolin. _He let his mind drift lazily from subject to subject until Shadow raised an arm in front of him, so fast Eragon walked into it.

"What's wrong?" Shadow went down on one knee and put a hand on the ground. "Shut up," he said curtly. He felt his shadow for a moment longer then stood. He pointed at a group of trees a few hundred yards ahead. "In that patch of trees there are three men waiting for us. Two of them have swords and the other has a bow. They are regarded to be the best ambush team in all the land." Eragon drew Brisingr and to his surprise he felt something grab his pack, where Arvindr was, and pulled the sword out. It was Kroger. "Arvindr." With a sound like water falling on rough stone ice shot up Arvindr's length. With a burst of sudden speed Kroger shot into the trees and a howl of agony came from it, so loud it made the hair on the back of Eragon's neck stand up. "Brisingr." Eragon's sword burst into fire and he jumped into the trees. Kroger stood around three mangled bodies, holding a sword covered in ice, and splattered with blood. The elf was panting and a fierce gleam was in his eyes. Eragon jumped over to him and pushed him against a tree.

"What do you think you're doing!" Kroger stabbed at him with Arvindr, a shadow had fallen over Eragon that blocked each stab. Shadow walked calmly to them, an arm raised.

"Let him go Eragon." K'eray's clear voice fell down onto Eragon from one of the trees. She sat there with a bow, an arrow knocked to the string. Eragon let go of Kroger and walked backward, the flames on his sword dying. Shadow flicked to fingers at the dead bodies and his shadow formed into a kull and started to pick up the bodies and hid them.

"He should be done in a few minutes." K'eray jumped down and looked at them. She bended over at the waist and said,

"I think I'm going to be sick." Arya came over and patted her apprentice on the back.

"Are you going to be alright?" In a few minutes she stood up. K'eray looked up and avoided looking at the bodies. Her face was red from crying.

"I think so." Arya whispered in her ear,

"Go on. If you want to you can go contact Brom." Eragon's eyes widened. Had she just said their son's name? K'eray brightened and walked off saying, "Thank you." He walked to Arya and whispered,

"Did you just tell her that she could contact our son?" Arya nodded.

"Didn't I tell you? They're in love." Eragon's heart skipped a beat. He suddenly felt a surge of emotion that combined happiness with distaste.

"How long?" Arya shrugged.

"He refused to tell me." Eragon looked at where K'eray had disappeared.

"Do you know how far it's gone?" Arya raised a slender eyebrow and a small smile lifted her face.

"You're concerned for him aren't you?" Eragon nodded. That was one stupid question.

"I was involved in his creation; of course I worried about him." Arya smiled and said,

"I don't know how far it has gone, but it's only a matter of time. Elves have that right, and since you share in our power and lifetime, you need to get used to living by our customs, as well as your own race." Eragon smiled.

"I guess. But if that's the case then you should get used to Kroger being around." The smile vanished from her face.

"I know. But it's hard." Kroger had turned his back on them and jumped into a tree so Eragon leaned over and kissed her forehead. "I know it's hard. After what he did I wouldn't react any differently. "Arya kissed him back.

"Do me a favor and go listen to K'eray. I don't like eavesdropping on them, but they could cause problems." Eragon nodded and whispered,

"What will you do with Kroger?" Arya looked up at the hunched over figure, where he perched on a branch. "Most likely nothing, but keep away from him at all costs." Eragon smiled and kissed her. He jumped into the trees to where K'eray had gone. He jumped from tree to tree, not making the slightest noise until he found her hunched over a pool of water. She was waiting for Brom to appear, so Eragon sat in a tree above and to the left of her, so that the wind did not carry his scent to her. Brom's face materialized on the water and he said,

"K'eray, it's so good to see you." K'eray smiled at his words and said,

"It's _wonderful _to see you Brom. Again with the hiding emotions thing." Brom obviously shared in her happiness for a smile, bigger then Eragon had ever seen on his son, was on Brom's face.

"Can you blame me? I'm not fully an elf, so I have to prove that I owe my allegiances to the elves over and over and over again." K'eray smiled warmly at the image and leaned down to it whispering,

"You'll never have to prove yourself to me. I love you Brom." Eragon could not help but smile as Brom replied,

"I love you too, K'eray. And I want to be with you until I die." K'eray's face was calm but the rest of her the parts Brom could not see, were moving around in joy. She placed two fingers on her lips and laid them on the water, where Brom's lips where.

"I would love to kiss you." Brom did the same with his two fingers and said, "A touch that is impossible under the circumstances." K'eray let out a bubbling laugh and pointed her face to the sky. Brom smiled at the sound.

"You're always so technical. Lighten up. The proper response to that is, 'I would love to kiss you too." Brom looked at her in love for a moment then went to serious.

"Has your mentor found out about us yet?" K'eray brightened at the subject and tossed her long black hair, almost identical to Arya's.

"As a matter of fact she did. And you neglected to tell me that my mentor is actually your mother." Brom jumped back, as he had been staring at an open piece of her neck, and said,

"Wh-What?" K'eray again laughed and said,

"She told me herself." Brom groaned in mock distress.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. It's something I'm nearly ashamed of." K'eray seemed surprised by his words.

"Why? I would do anything to be as part elf as you are." Now it was Brom's turn to look surprised.

"Why?" K'eray started to answer then stopped, looking at the folds of her dress.

"Because....Because then you and I could be together and no one would try and stop us." Brom seemed happy by her reply, until the last five words came out of her mouth. Then he seemed alarmed.

"Who would try and stop us? Why would anyone try and stop us?" K'eray looked up and said, obviously proud that she knew so much,

"Because it's against the elven law for......" She stopped mid-speech and said, "Oh I don't know. Just in case. I'm just wishing that I was as half-elf as you, nothing more." Brom shock his head.

"No. What's against the elven law?"

"Oh, a lot of things are." Brom's shoulders sagged.

"K'eray." Eragon knew what was coming.

"Well.......it's sorta against the elven law for......you know.....an elf, female or male to sort of........take a mate that isn't fully elf." Brom's eyes flared.

"What!" K'eray started to try and reassure him.

"No, no, don't get upset. I don't care if there is a hundred million years of laws that say I can't be with you, I don't care. All I care about is you." Brom relaxed and said,

"You're risking the favor of your family, which is the second most powerful family in the entire world, by loving me, you know that right?" K'eray tossed her hair indignantly.

"I'm no more then a toy to my parents, an ill spoon retch that was brought into the world to do nothing more then obey their every whim. Every one in the forest treated me like that." She smiled warmly, with such tenderness that Eragon could not doubt her love for him, and said,

"You were the first to accept me as a living thing that had emotions and desires like the rest of us. I'll never forget that." Brom smiled and again laid his first two fingers on his lips and then laid them were K'eray's were.

"I love you." K'eray looked at him in mocked surprise.

"Emotion, Brom?" Brom chuckled and said,

"I've been working on it. I have to go. Contact me as soon as possible. I'll be waiting to see your gorgeous face again." K'eray giggled and Brom's face faded, but not before he winked at K'eray. When the pool was rippling with wind again she sighed. Standing she smiled and said,

"Thinks I have a gorgeous face." At that moment she froze. The wind had changed direction, bringing with it Eragon's scent. Looking up she saw him as he jumped down off the tree and walked to her.

"What are you doing? That was private!" Eragon chuckled.

"I wonder why." K'eray's back was perfectly straight from anger. "You have no right to spy on us like that." Eragon's eyebrows went up.

"Don't I? He is my son." K'eray's face tightened.

"Why were you spying on me. Who long have you been spying on me?" Eragon patted the ground.

"First off, I'm spying on you because you two can cause a great deal of trouble. And second I just now started spying on you." He sat down and gestured for him to join him. She hesitantly lowered herself to the ground a few feet beside him.

"Why?" The simple word that K'eray said held so many other questions in it. Why would she and Brom being together be a problem? Why did she have to be the one to restrain herself, when so many others could do anything they wanted? Why did Eragon have to be half-elven so that Brom wasn't full-elf and make her not be able to be with him legally? Why couldn't they just make an exception for K'eray, like they had with Arya?

"Why?" Eragon intertwined his fingers and said, "No one wants to make you unhappy. To the contrary they want you to be happy. Do you know why a master and pupil can not be in love?" K'eray nodded. "And if there is something important holding that rule in place, don't you think that there is something that is holding this one in place? The Queen has not personally signaled you out. It just feels like that." K'eray sighed and her shoulder slumped. She rapped her arms around her knees and rested her chin on them.

"I love him so much; more then I have loved anything in all my life." Eragon nodded.

"Do you think he loves you too?" K'eray looked at him as if he insulted her.

"I know he does." Eragon smiled and said,

"Then I offer you this wisdom. It's found in the Law of The Riders. 'Man and women were not made perfect, but were born from the imperfect.'" K'eray looked confused.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Eragon smiled. It hadn't made much sense to him at the time.

"It means that you are not perfect, nor ever will be. There's another one that I want to tell you. There are three books in the Law of The Riders and this is in the center of the second so it's basically the center of all knowledge. 'Love is the all powerful force that can not be stopped by King, Queen, Law, or Nature. The first two because Love is more powerful than any mortal or immortal ruler, for it will continue after their death. The second two because Love is apart of Law and Nature.'" K'eray shock her head, not understanding. Eragon stood and brushed his pants.

"It means that if you love him, then don't let anyone tell you to do otherwise, for they haven't the right." He left her there, thinking over his words.

* * *

**Once again I'm sorry it's taking so long. my firewall prevented me to use the doc uploader.** **But I fixed it**


	6. Darkness

Blackness

_Blackness. Empty blackness._

_Arya sat up and looked at the place where she knew the candle ought to be still burning. She had light it only a few hours ago, and so it still should be fine. She shuddered as the sensations of the previous week assaulted her memory. _

_Why did he do that? He had done something to her that she did not even know the word to describe properly. Except for hurt. I wonder if he'll do it again. I hope not. Then she shock herself. We'll it's bound to be a little painful but you get the crown if you do it. That's a pretty big reward. I bet everything is going go back to normal. Still she could not shack off the feeling that what he had done was not what he said it was, that it was something bad, that shouldn't be and shouldn't of been done. Listen to yourself. Acting like the mentor. He was once in running for the thrown too, which means that he probably had that done to him too. You're the apprentice, not the mentor. He knows better._

_She again thought about the moment when she had stripped in front of him. The way he looked at her with that hunger-wolf-starring-at-guarded-meat look. From what her lessons had taught her so far it was called mating, what they had done. The day after Kroger had immediately ripped out a section of the law book and burned it. I wonder what was in it, she had thought to herself. And why he was so quick to destroy it. They she shock her head, wondering why she cared. Kroger, of all elves, cared the most about her raising to the throne. She wriggled with delight at the prospect. All will listen and bow to me, not my mother. She smiled at the very thought. Then an obscure piece of law hit her. 'Every King or Queen must have a mate to raise to the post.'_

_Her thoughts turned to Faolin. They have a right to choose their mate, so if I have to I choose Faolin. Her mind wandered back to the day when she had told her mentor of her affection, bordering on love, for Faolin. How he had sat perfectly still and how had finally said, _

_"That-That is good news." What she would've given to know what he was thinking. She stood up from her bed and said,_

_"I think I need to now what that part of the Law Kroger ripped out was." She focused and said a word for finding. She felt a full Law scroll in her massive library in the corner of the room. Three walls were detected to the shelves. She loved books. She stood and located the scroll she was looking for. She sat down and said a word that would find her the page he had ripped out in the actual book. The scroll began to move as it located the page she was looking for and it stopped about midway. She took and read out load. _

_"And so Ertya fell into Naona's ambitions and as a result our race was killed, save for the four that made it through. And so this rule was made: It is against the Law for a master and pupil to fall in love and a crime fit to death if they indulge themselves in the making of love." Arya's blood went cold. The making of love? But wasn't that what Kroger......The door to her room eerily slid open, creaking on wooden hinges._

_"Arya. I've been looking for you." Arya swung around. Standing next to the door, turned around locking it, stood (__**AN**_**: You guessed it) **_Kroger. Arya stood up and went as far away from him as possible__._

_"You lied. That wasn't a check point to the throne. That-that was a strictly forbidden act. Wh-Why did you trick me?" Kroger turned to her and seemed surprised to see the Law scroll on the ground, open to the part that told of that deadly sin. He looked at her with all together to much flame in his eye. Flames of rage and flames of lust. _

_"Don't worry. You see, we're the exception, because you're the princess. We can do that as much as we want." His last sentence was filled with lust. He started to walk towards her and she crawled onto the bed and huddled in one corner. _

_"Please don't. I....I don't want to do that again." Kroger's eyes turned to lust filled to slightly disappointed. He started to crawl towards her on the bed. _

_"Don't worry Arya, I won't hurt you. Custom dictated that it hurt last time, for you will win the throne as a reward. The trials to that post have to be testing, otherwise someone unworthy will win it." Arya shock her head. _Lies.

_"It wasn't right the first time. I read it in the Law. 'A student and master can not have a romantic relationship until after the apprenticeship is over." Kroger laughed._

_"But that's in some decades, Arya. Why would I wait that long?" He was crawling closer and closer, and closer he got the more terror came into her. Her room was nowhere near any elves. The palace tree itself was at least a mile away, and she didn't think she could outrun him. _

_Kroger was the second most powerful elf in the world. Surely it would be a laughable matter to hold her in place._

_"Wh-What are you going to do?" Kroger was so close now she could hear his heart beat. Slow, but getting quicker._

_"Nothing that will hurt. All you have to do is not fight or struggle or scream and yell, and it will all be over quickly." Arya's mind was racing. _It will all be over, _she thought. _He must mean that he won't do it again. So if he isn't going to do it again, then I'll let him do it.

_She lied down flat and divested herself of her cloths. It felt like she was exposing her thoughts to the elf, which she had done often enough and it had been uncomfortable but not like this. This was worse then anything. Kroger's eyes sparkled. _

_"That's it, be a good apprentice for your master. Now spread your legs like last time." Arya didn't want to. If she did he would do what he had done last time, a thought to her was very distasteful. Kroger growled when she didn't move. _

_"Did you hear me? I said spread your legs!" He grabbed her be the thighs and spread them for her. He snapped his fingers and his cloths flew off as if a massive gale had ripped through the room. Grabbing both her breasts he shot himself into her and she fought a scream. It felt like he was driving a wet nail through her innards. Despite the hope she held that this would be the last time she cast spell after desperate spell trying to stop him. It was a hopeless prospect at best. Kroger was not a decade older then her, but his skills had advanced so fast that in a year after begging to learn the arts of magic he could defeat the prime advisor for the Queen._

_She tried to turn onto her stomach and hid herself. Again hopeless. He ended up just going at her from behind, which almost worse. After hours and hours Arya was completely drained of energy. She could hardly move, but Kroger kept at her. After it must have been at least ten hours Arya heard a slight creak but gave no notice to it. Suddenly Kroger was thrown off her and warm arms embraced her._

_"Arya. Arya are you alright?" Arya looked up into what seemed the exact same face as she had seen. Then she noticed something different. Where Kroger's hands were lust filled and hurtful, these ones were soft and comforting. _

_"Faolin?" A snarl came from the other side of the room. Kroger lay against the wall, blood trickling from his head. _

_"Jierda alfirn manin. Risa, eitha fram." Break His memory. Rise, go forward. Faolin fell backward clutching his head. He rose from the ground and flew out of the room, unconscious. Kroger stood. _

_"Thought he could save you, huh? Please. I'll leave you alone for now, but I want to do one last thing to you, just so you know not to tell anyone about this. And so help me if I find out you did, you will not like the result." He came forward, rapped an arm around her back, lifted her up so that her waist was pointed to him and........_

_  
_Arya jolted upright, panting and covered in sweat. She shuddered as the memory of the sensation of what he had done came across her like an ice cold wave. Eragon sat up and looked at her.

"What's wrong Arya?" She stifled a scream as more and more images flashed to her. She got up and cuddled against him, sobbing.

"Don't let him do it, please don't." Eragon hugged her the whole time, whispering in her ear,

"It's alright Arya. Nothing is going to happen to you. You're fine. He'll never do that again. I promise I'll always be here to protect you." Arya sniffed and started to cry again.

"Swear?" Eragon patted her.

"I swear. Listen, I'm far more powerful then he is. I can say what I want done, and it will happen. I will never let him do that, ever." Arya eventually stopped crying.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be waking you up and throwing all my fear onto you." Eragon hugged her, kissing her on the forehead.

"So long as we are mates, and even after that, I will always be here for you to throw all your fears on, for I have the power to deal with them. You carry a very heavy burden on your shoulders. Even an elf can not run a hundred miles an hour with two tons of weight on their back. You need to let go of all the stress and fear inside of you. I did that when my uncle first told me that it was my responsibility to make sure that we had meat, and as such had to go into the mountains, to hunt.

I had to overcome my fear and trepidation of what might happen, but that I had no prove would happen." Eragon lifted a hand and, using the power word, soothed Arya's anger, fear, stress, and most of all her hatred to the elf that slept in the a tree a few hundred yards away. Arya snuggled against him, feeling comfortable, knowing that if Kroger tried anything, Eragon would be there to stop him. She looked up at him.

"I love you," she whispered. "I love so much." Eragon smiled and kissed her, once on her forehead, once on her nose, and once on her lips. For the first time since leaving the forest, the slept side by side.

* * *

Eragon awake to Shadow whispering in his ear.

"Ordinarily I would say I'm surprised, but I'm really not. If I were you I'd get up before Kroger does." Eragon sat up. He held Arya in his arms and Kroger was start to move. Eragon quickly let go of her and lifted her back to where she had slept. Kroger yelped as he fell out of the tree. Obviously he had forgotten he was sleeping there. He spun in mid-air and landed on his feet like a cat. He looked up and said,

"Well, are we ready to go?" Eragon nodded and Shadow raised a hand. Once again his shadow moved up his arm and into the air. To his astonishment, Eragon's, K'eray's, Arya's and Kroger's shadow's all came to his arm. The shadow floating above his hand gathered into a much larger one, until it was as tall as Eragon, and as wide as the tree Kroger had slept in.

"I can transport us fifteen miles to start with, but I'll be tired afterwards." Eragon smiled. He had not mentioned he could do that.

"Can you go farther then fifteen miles?" Shadow shook his head.

"Tried, didn't work out." Eragon nodded.

"Well then let's go." They all went through the portal and Eragon shivered at the sensation. It became hard to breath, like the air was tightening around them. He took three steps forward, and found himself in an open street, in some city. Shadow looked at blindly down at his shadow and his eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"What the-? How did I-" Eragon looked at him.

"What is it?" He looked up at hi, even though he couldn't see him.

"The combination of all your shadows in mine must of shot us far past where I wanted us to go." Eragon looked alarmed, but didn't know how bad it really was.

"Well then where are we?" Shadow pointed to a sign a few feet away. It was a fairly large sign, at least ten feet tall and six feet wide. Cold dread and a mountain of fear engulfed Eragon. On the sign was large letters in blood red.

They read: **Welcome all who are lucky enough to see this masterful creation that is known as Uru'bean. Long live the King.**


	7. Captured

Captured

Dread and fear were all that Eragon could feel. All he could think was, "_No, no, no, no, no, no_!" Shadow gulped. They were standing in front of what looked like a main road. Hundreds if not thousands of people were on it. Eragon looked as far to his right as possible and could not see the end of the people crowding on both sides of the street. He looked at Shadow, who had a fearful look on his face.

"What is it?" Shadow jerked in alarm. He knelt and touched his shadow. He stood up in less then a second, turning to an ally.

"Run!" The five of them ran to the ally and hid.

"What's wrong?" Shadow spat out a bit of his hair which had landed in his mouth.

"I've lived here before. Every month Gailbatorix holds a praise ceremony when he is carried throughout the city, everyone bowing to him the whole way. It's today. That's why there are so many people in the road. If he even so much as sees us we're dead." Eragon closed his mind and whispered to the others to do likewise. Barely whispering he said,

"Shadow. Can you transport us out of here?" Shadow shook his head.

"I wish I could, but I can't. I'm tired as it is. Going more then thirty yards would leave me to tired to move. Eragon looked up at the roof of the house they were beside.

"Let's go up there." They filled up the latter one by one. Shadow looked up and down it, even though he couldn't see it, and said,

"You know what, I think I'll stay here where I can see." Eragon looked down at him, irritated and extremely rushed.

"Shadow!" The boy looked up at him pitifully.

"Come on! The roof. Anywhere but the roof. The roof has the most sunlight, which means no shadows, which means this little boy isn't seeing." Eragon held out a hand, casting it in his shadow. Shadow blinked as he suddenly saw.

"I'll carry you to a place with shadows so you can see, alright?" Shadow gulped and looked down at his precious shadow. He let out a long sigh and held his hands out to Eragon.

"Fine. Hurry." Eragon picked him up and pulled him up. The boy struggled slightly, reluctant to leave his vision behind. Soon they were at the to. K'eray, Arya and Kroger were kneeling beside the edge, watching intently. Eragon sat the boy down in his shadow. He blinked.

"Thank you." Eragon looked down at a black carrier that was held by four men, bigger then Horst. In it sat two people. Dread clutched Eragon harder as he stared at the face of Gailbatorix. To his somewhat interest he noted that the king looked sort of like Brom. Take out the beard and they looked almost the same. The other person was a girl of perhaps 14. She wore a white veil over her face. Her long blond hair was in a net of shinning purls. With his keen hearing he heard the two fighting over something. From what he could tell the girl had not wanted to go. _Why am I not surprised? Oh duh, he's a king. Tyrant is a better word for it. _Something shiny got Eragon's eye and he turned to it. I massive black dragon, nearly as tall as the Glaedr, walked beside the carrier. His eyes were oddly bloodshot, as if something had hit them. Motion flickered in the edge of Eragon's view, and he turned his gaze to the carrier. Gailbatorix had stood, one hand raised. He spoke. It sounded like a Letherblaka yelling, but it could not have been very loud. "Stop." The carrier's stopped but did not set it down. Gailbatorix's eyes were pointed at their hiding place. He looked at two solders that were walking beside them.

"Go look up there." The two men ran to the alleyway. Eragon looked at Shadow.

"Can you set some shadow or something that will make us invisible?" The boy nodded. He stood and closed his eyes, both arms reaching outward. Shadows all around them move and covered them like a blanket. "They can't see us." They two man climbed up the ladder and looked around. Eragon lay motionless, afraid that Shadow had been overly optimistic about his power and that if he moved the men would see him. The tallest of them turned to the other.

"Go tell him there's nothing." The man walked to the edge and came within an inch of stepping on Eragon's nose. "There's nothing up here, my lord." Gailbatorix raised an arm at him. A ball of electricity shot out of his hand and nearly hit the man. He jumped down from the carrier muttering,

"If you want something done you have to do it yourself." He jumped onto the roof, not even going near the ladder. His boot landed so close to Eragon he nearly gasped. He bit his tongue, fighting the urge to cast a spell. Shruikan growled. Gailbatorix did not even look at him, or take not of his concerns. He walked forward, looking at every pothole, knock, and hold on the roof.

"As you can see, my lord, we told the truth." Gailbatorix turned and looked at directly at Eragon.

"Yes. I see your point. Come along then, there are people left to adore and praise me." The two men nodded.

"Of course sir." Eragon held back a sigh. Gailbatorix stepped forward to jump off then twisted and dropped, punching Shadow in the back of his head. The boy fell and the shadow around them collapsed. Gailbatorix lifted his hand at Eragon and Eragon went unconscious. The last thing he heard was maniacal laughter.

* * *

Eragon groaned as he sat up. He felt lightheaded, but more then that an urge pulled at him.

"Drugged me, huh? Thought you could keep me from using magic?" Eragon reached for his power word, but did not fell its presence. A mind talked in his.

_Sorry, they drugged even that. It'll take at least a day to recover. _It was the first Eragon.

_Where were you when Shadow was about to transport us to Uru'bean? _Eragon 1 did not reply. He grunted and looked around. It looked sort of like the one that he had been imprisoned in while he and Brom where in Gil'ead. Except that they're any cells on the other wall.

"Alright, where are Arya, Kroger, K'eray and Shadow," he whispered to himself. A voice came from the right of his cell, breaking the quite.

"No use. They've all been put in other holding chambers throughout the castle." A tall girl that he remembered from the carrier with Gailbatorix walked around the corner, twirling keys on her first and second fingers.

"Want these?" Eragon looked at her with a small squint. It was dark, and he couldn't see very well, due to the time he'd been sleeping.

"If it's a question of wither you will give me those keys I'd say I'd appreciate it. If you want me to beg for them then I'd say that I'm a rider, and we do not beg for anything." The girl laughed, almost as clear as an elf. She unlocked the door and said,

"You know, I think I may have use for you elsewhere. However we will have to see. My father, your hated foe Gailbatorix, sent me to talk with you." She held out a hand to the cot.

"Sit." Eragon glared at her for treating him like he was a dog, but sat.

"I haven't got any interest in fighting alongside Gailbatorix, since I assume he sent you here to butter me up. I _won't _fight alongside Gailbatorix even if he kills me for it." The girl sat on the opposite side of the cot and smiled at the locked door.

"Such a harsh greeting from someone of your post. I'm not here to try and persuade you into anything, much less fighting with my father to cause more war, which I find distasteful. I want him to stop fighting but will he listen to me? Now, my name is Martha, if you have any interest. And yours is Eragon Shadeslayer." Eragon nodded dumbly.

"Is that supposed to mean something?" Martha smiled at him. "You are a man of great power, power I might add, that my father wants." Eragon sat up straighter, leaning on the wall that the cot was pushed against.

"Stop talking about him like he's done absolutely nothing. Stop revering to him as 'my father.' It's disgusting." Martha smiled warmly at him.

"I know, isn't it?" Eragon stopped. He had not expected her to agree with him. At that moment a harsh voice came from outside.

"Martha! What are you doing in his cell?" They both turned and panic gripped Eragon. Gailbatorix stood in a black cloak, a gray Rider's sword at his waist. He snapped and the doors creaked open. He drew his sword and looked at Eragon with a fierce, insane, smile. Martha stood up and planted herself in front of her father. Gailbatorix stopped.

"Get out of my way." Martha shook her head blond hair.

"No. Not unless you promise not to hurt him." Gailbatorix snarled at her but she didn't move. Eragon thought, "_Either she's mad or she's determined. _He could not believe it when Gailbatorix sheathed his sword.

"Fine." Martha moved and Gailbatorix clapped. A large throne appeared in the room and he sat in it. In a voice like warm honey he said,

"Eragon, it is so good to finally met you in person. I'm glad you came to me so I didn't have to come to you." Eragon glared at him.

"Shut up you heartless excuse of a King!" Gailbatorix fist tightened and magic glowed, then he stopped. Martha had jumped back in his way.

"I won't let you hurt someone that has done nothing." The king lowered his hand. He looked back at Eragon.

"I do not want to hurt you, Eragon. The Varden do. Look at Nasuada. Is it not clear yet that she wants you gone? She sent you to run nigh on three hundred miles on foot with a Kull, for no reason at all. Then she sends you through my domain to get an egg that you had no prove even was real. Worse she sent with your own mate who was pregnant with your first child, in the intent of harming you, or better killing you. Those are not the actions of a good leader." Eragon snarled.

"Go away. You will not persuade me. You are a heartless animal taken on a human form. You slaughtered the Riders, killed my uncle, and have tried numerous times to kill me! I am not nor will I fight for you!" Gailbatorix stood and his throne disappeared.

"Well then I have no further use of you." He drew his sword, and again Martha jumped in his way.

"Martha, get out of my way, now!" She shook her head.

"No. You promised. I'll watch him, make sure he gets his drug every day, and make sure that he doesn't try anything." He raised a fist and slammed it against the wall.

"Of all the things I've offered you in your life you want my worst enemy?" Martha looked at her father with a totally lack of fear, an act that Eragon had considered suicidal.

"You promised me. A year ago you said that anything I wanted you would let me have. I want to take care of this Rider, so you must let me." Gailbatorix's shoulders sagged, and he ran a hand down his face.

"Yes I promised you that, idiot that I was. Why do you want him live?" She relaxed and shrugged.

"I don't know. He just seems like he's important and that even though I just met him, he's special to me." Gailbatorix groaned. He spun around yelling,

"You have got to be kidding!" He raised his arm and punched the wall, leaving a hole so deep Eragon thought someone would be killed by it. He spun around.

"Fine, you know what, fine. You can keep him. Do what you want with him but if he gets away, there will be hell to pay, and let me tell you, you will pay." Martha nodded.

"I understand. What of the others?" Gailbatorix through his hands on his head and moaned.

"The others! Why don't you just give them weapons and the keys to the exit gate!" Martha smiled.

"Alright, others off limits. Promise me you won't do anything to him." Gailbatorix sighed.

"Alright, fine. I swear I won't do anything to him." Martha ran forward and hugged her father.

"Thank you. I won't forget this." Gailbatorix laid a hand on her back and glared fire at Eragon, who didn't cast a glance in his direction.

"See that you don't. So what are you going to sleep in here?" Martha looked back at Eragon.

"What do you think of that idea?" Eragon looked up at her.

"Do what you like." Martha thought for a moment then brightened. She turned to her father.

"Alright, he'll come sleep in my room." Gailbatorix's mouth dropped open and he screamed,

"Do you want him to escape?" Martha laughed.

"No, but he and I will be far more comfortable." Gailbatorix turned and walked back to a hidden carrier. They left and she turned to him.

"Well, come on." Eragon stood and walked with her to her room. As they passed Arya's cell he kissed the air in her direction, even though she was asleep. They soon came to a huge door. Two guards blocked the entrance. Martha told them to move and they went inside. Her room was enormous. A goodly portion of it was covered by a mat that Eragon knew was for gymnastics' use.

"You are a gymnastic?" Martha looked at the part of her room fondly.

"Yes, I am. I love moving so freely." She led the way into her bedroom that actually _was _her bedroom. It was a separate part. There was one large, fifteen foot bed. Eragon stared at it in almost awe.

"How many people sleep in that?" Martha walked to the edge of it.

"Usually one. Tonight-," she smiled at him and he began to fell uncomfortable. "-there will be one." She pulled the blankets back and said, "You'll sleep here and I'll sleep on the ground." Eragon smiled at her kindness.

"Thank you." He pulled himself onto the bed and she said,

"I'll order you some food." She went outside and told her guards to bring him a fantastic meal. They left and she came back in.

"Is there anything you need?" Eragon nodded.

"Sleep that isn't on a cot, food, and Arya." She tilted her head.

"Who?" Eragon cleared his throat. "The elf that was captured." She snapped her fingers.

"Ah, yes, that one. Sorry, I can' help you there. I can let you visit her, but that's it." Eragon nodded and said,

"Can I visit her tomorrow?" Martha nodded.

"Of course." The meal was brought in and Eragon ate, hungry but tired. Soon they were both asleep in the massive bedroom.

* * *

**Yes I know that whole 'gymnastics' thing sort of sounded like it were modern day but I swear that is the only thing I will do.**


	8. Return

Return

In the following days Eragon grew to know Martha, and even to respect her. She never let Gailbatorix near him without first making him promise not to hurt him. The girl seemed to be Gailbatorix's weak point. He visited Arya as often as he was allowed. Martha did everything she could to let him talk with her. Once she even let him go for the day without his drug so that he could take to Arya in his mind. He got insides on her own life. How Gailbatorix had brutally killed her mother, Freka, and how he had sworn in the Ancient Language, in a fit of drunkenness, to be the perfect and best of fathers to her. Since then he had been forced to do anything for her. In turn she grew to know him as well, to the point where it was uncomfortable for Eragon. She understood him so much that once she finished his sentence and another she guessed what he wanted for dinner, which was strange as he never had the same thing twice.

Days rolled by and before Eragon knew it two and a half weeks had passed. _We'd be back with the Varden by now. _He longed to run out of the city and go back, with Arya, to Saphira. _Surely she must have laid her egg, or eggs, by now. _We wanted to go back, yet some part of him wanted to stay in Uru'bean. That he could morn the potently departure from such a hated city, appalled him as well as disgusted. But at the same time it made sense. Martha did everything she could to make him comfortable, he was always well fed, there was never any bloodshed, and he got to see Arya whenever he wanted to. But there was one flaw. The hair he saw every morning was not the raven hair of Arya, but the blond hair of Martha. _I should be spending my days with her, not Martha. _Still he could not deny the girl's treatment of him. She seemed intent on making him, through gently prodding, want to stay in Uru'bean. Eragon spent most of his time looking out his window, at the dark prison in which his love resided. It was warm that day, so he lied down on his bed and slept.

_All Eragon could see was silver. He sat up and realized he was sitting beside Eragon 1 on Bid'Daum. The elf had an angry, but mild angry face. As Eragon stirred he looked back at him. _

_"Well. Never thought I'd see you again. Were you ever planning on coming back here?" Eragon looked up at him, surprised, as he always was, by the elves youthful face combined with his age. _

_"What's wrong?" The elf spun around, his face turning furious. "'What's wrong!' You of all people should find the idea of spending two _**_seconds_** _in Uru'bean repulsive, not two weeks! What are you thinking!" He moved to hit Eragon but Eragon blocked it._

_"What I am thinking is that, yes, I need to get out of here. But it's so nice here. Why must I go back?" Using his full-elven ability Eragon throw his hand past Eragon's and hit him._

_"Why? You have exactly one week to get out of there, or else I will come back and do it for you, and let me tell you, you will not like the results!" _Eragon sat up. He was lying in the large bed, Martha asleep about ten feet away. Eragon jumped out of the bed and went to where the contents of his pack which had gradually scattered across the room. In the process of doing so, he woke Martha. She sat up, drowsy with sleep. She yawned and said,

"What are you doing? It's too early to visit Arya." Eragon shook his head as he bent down and picked up Brisingr.

"I have to leave. I must get out of here and back to the Varden." Martha stood up and twirled a night gown around herself.

"Why would you do that?" He looked at her in shook. Her face was completely calm. _She acutely means that._

"'Why must I leave?' Because the Varden are counting on me." Martha looked down at her hands.

"I just thought that maybe if I did enough that you would want to stay." Eragon looked down for a second to pick up one of his shirts.

"I could never stay here. I'm no more than a pampered captive here." He looked back down and was astonishment as Martha's hand touched his shoulder. How had she moved so quickly?

"Think about this. I can make Gailbatorix do anything for you. If you wanted you could lead his army, and he would have to treat you fairly. You wouldn't be just be a servant captured. If you wanted you could go anywhere, and you wouldn't have to take that drug, and-" she looked back down at her hands- "if you wanted, you could ask for a wife." Eragon pulled away from her, feeling odd that grief resided in his heart.

"I can not stay here. The Varden need me. If they lose then their will be no end to the war." She frowned for a long time, and then smiled confidently.

"Well then what can I do to help?"

*********

Eragon stealthily walked down the lane, his elven bow strung. He looked at every turn, his true vision returned with the return of his power word. Martha had shown him that hot water was the antidote, and now he could see with the power that it allowed. Martha walked behind him. They were in the opposite end of the castle, where Arya's, K'eray's, Kroger's, and Shadow's cells were. Eragon felt with his mind for the four of them, delighted to have to ability back. He felt K'eray's mind and moved to her cell. He laid a hand on the door and whispered, "Open," in his own language. The door creaked open. Lying on the ground was a shivering, crying young elf, cut and bruised and bleeding from her right temple. Eragon stared at her for a moment.

_This is what others went through for your 'comfort'! _The first Eragon's mind was filled with rage. Eragon mentally sighed, exasperated.

_Is your acting like my conscious going to go on from now on? _Eragon 1"s mind snapped back at him.

_Probably, because you seem to lack one of your own! _Eragon grunted and moved towards K'eray.

"K'eray, are you alright?" She opened one eye and then both her eyes popped open. She rushed forward and hugged him.

"Where in the world did you go?" Eragon was slightly surprised by her open display of friendship, as elves did not incline to it, and said,

"I've been gone for a while." She looked him over a couple of times. She sniffed three times.

"There's not a scratch on you, you have fresh cloths, and you smell like good food. I hope you will explain yourself." Eragon nodded and stood.

"Are you okay to walk?" She wobbled to a standing position.

"Depends. Are we going to go to the Varden now?" Eragon smiled.

"Want to see Brom?" K'eray raised her head and smiled to herself as the memory of Brom washed over her. With a clear voice that betrayed nothing of what she had gone through she said,

"Yes, I do." She walked with complete balance to the cell which held Kroger, raised her leg, and kicked the door with so much strength that it toppled inward. Kroger raised his head and sat up.

"Well finally. Thought you'd never get here. The food is awful. And for some reason they think that drug works." He got up and started to Arya's door, but Eragon stepped in his way.

"Allow me." Kroger lowered his arm, which he had been about the punch the door with and snarled,

"Well I'll go get Shadow then." He walked off and Eragon turned to Arya's cell.

"Open." The door slowly opened and Eragon realized there was a spell on it. Not set by Gailbatorix obviously so he decided it was of no threat. He waved a hand and it sung the rest of the way open. Arya sat stood by the door, her head turned to him. She pushed herself off the wall and walked towards him calmly.

Fresh wounds, some healed, covered her flesh. A small tear ran down her face. As she walked towards him she lost the will to control herself and ran to him, and hugged him. He hugged her back and out of the corner of his eye saw K'eray smile.

_She must hope to have the same thing with Brom. _Arya raised her head and kissed him. Then said,

"Come, we must leave." Kroger walked around the corner, his hand on Shadow's back.

"Got our escape device." Eragon walked over and kneeled before the boy. Although he wore the same cloths he had came in, he looked well fed, and completely alright.

"Didn't the soldiers hurt you? And how did you get fed so much?" The boy's mouth twisted in a smile.

"Didn't I tell you the shadows are my friends? The soldiers dare not hurt me, for fear of the repercussions, and my revenge. Oh, they tried, but they couldn't move thanks to my shadow." Eragon smiled at the boy. The more and more he learned about the boy's shadow, the more and more he wondered in awe what his two brothers could do.

"Your shadow can make food?" Shadow shook his head, raising his arms.

"No time for that now. Solders on the way." Again shadows formed dragged themselves off their owners and into a pile in front of Shadow, until a large one stood before him.

"Come on." K'eray, Kroger, Arya, and Shadow walked through the portal. Eragon looked back at Martha.

"Take care of yourself." Martha nodded.

"There's something I need you to know before you go." She raised the hair over her ear and pulled it back. Eragon gaped as he saw her half-way pointed ears.

"You're a half-elf?" Martha nodded. "Gailbatorix is and he gave it to me. There's one last thing. Gailbatorix is your-" At that exact moment a group of thirty solders ran out of the corner into the hall. Half drew swords and ran at them, yelling battle cries. The other half aimed crossbows and longbows at them. Martha jumped forward and pushed Eragon through the shadow. Eragon heard screaming and shooting, then nothing but calm. He opened his eyes to see the others standing up, looking over a rise of a hill. The new day sun was coming up and it shown on the five of them. Eragon stood up and walked to them. Over the hill was a mass of swarming tents. From the low east a blue and a red dot flew out from a mountain. The Varden's camp. Eragon smiled with joy at the sight.

"We made it." Two elves ran out from the Varden, one covered in blue fur and the other wearing a simple tunic and a sword waving at his belt. Eragon looked at the boy and realized that it was Brom. K'eray saw him and took off at a dead run, despite her injuries. They met about half a mile from Eragon and nearly knocked each other over. K'eray laughed as Brom spun her in the air with such happiness and joy even Eragon could not comprehend the love they shared. Brom set her down and looked her over.

"You're hurt." K'eray closed her eyes and laid her head against his chest.

"I will never be hurt when I'm with you." Brom hugged her. Arya walked up beside Eragon and whispered,

"Well looks like we've done our part." Eragon nodded.

"Looks like it." A low moan came from behind them. They both turned to see Shadow bending over at the waist and Kroger patting him.

"I have never moved so far. I'm exhausted!" Eragon picked the boy up and they started to the camp. As they walked he talked to Shadow.

"Don't worry; I know I'll be able to help you with your power. We'll start your training in two days, to let you rest." It took them around twenty minutes to get there, K'eray being carried by Brom, had it the easiest. When they got there they went straight to Nasuada's tent. She sat beside Elva, Angela, and Solembum. Sitting beside the werecat was Kolembum.

The werecat sat beside his twin brother like they had not been separated at all. The two served the group and started to whisper to each other. Nasuada stood and said,

"Welcome back Eragon. Who are all these elves you've brought with you?" Eragon proceeded to introduce them all to Nasuada.

"And finally this is Shadow. He has an uncommon power. He can move and dictate a person's shadow, create a shadow and turn into a real living thing, transport you through the shadow to another place and a lot more that would take a while to explain." Nasuada stared with interest at the small boy.

"And he's blind." Nasuada looked back at him and mouthed,

_"Doesn't that make him useless?" _Like a viper Shadow shoot forward, used his hand to through himself through the air, and landed in front of Nasuada.

"Just because I'm blind, doesn't mean I can't see. For example. You are tall, brown skinned women of perhaps twenty, wearing a green dress, depressed by all the weighs of the Varden, along with the wants of your flesh and those of your mate." The Nighthawks had been about to attack the boy, when they stopped. His description was perfect. It seemed to them he could not only see her, but see _into _her. The boy braced himself against the table, jumped back beside Eragon, and said,

"All to many people judge me for my blindness, when in actuality I see better then anyone in this tent. Eragon raised a hand.

"Excluding me." The boy nodded and looked up at his guardian.

"Can we go now, I'm tired." Elva stood up and walked to the small boy. Her charms had grown, even though Eragon had previously thought that that was impossible. She was now bordering on the beauty of Arya. She knelt before the boy and said,

"I understand your struggles for I have gone through much the same." She stood up and mouthed to Eragon,

"I understand," and walked back to her seat. Shadow pulled at Eragon's cloths. He bent down and the boy whispered,

"I like her. She's the first to even claim she had gone through something similar." Eragon stood up smiling. A laugh came from behind Eragon and he turned to see a tall dragon, dressed in what looked like human cloths.

"Were have you ran off to? Faolin and Murtagh barely make good opponents so I've been bored for almost a month." Gridor walked forward and took Eragon's hand in a rough but appropriate shake. "Oh, I'm sorry. I guess I didn't consider you wouldn't have anyone to blow up while I was gone." Gridor smiled. He pricked his ears to the ceiling and said, "Okay, got to go. Saphira's going to bit my head off if I don't get this done." He turned around, ran a few paces, and then took off with a blast of air. Just the name of Saphira reminded him that they were not connected due to Eragon keeping his mind closed. He opened up his mind and felt her.

_Saphira! _She was distracted by something but her joy and relief from hearing him alright washed over him. He smiled as she kindly asked for a few minutes. He turned his attention back to the tent and saw that Shadow had worked his way to the two werecat's. They stared at him with the same interest that he stared at them. In a quivering voice he said,

"H-Hyro? Fifrie?" The two werecat's grinned wolfishly and wavered. Their colors changed and Solembum turned into a small boy. Kolembum turned into what might have been a boy of perhaps 11. They both embraced Shadow. Kolembum or Hyro said,

"Kecra. Where were you all this time?" Shadow trembled as if with a cold.

"Kecra. My name is Kecra." Eragon walked to them. He looked at Solembum, or Fifrie. "Fifrie. So that's your real name. The one you mentioned in Teirm?" Solembum looked up at him and smiled. For the first time he heard Solembum speck out loud.

"Obviously." To his surprise Angelia seemed undisturbed at the werecat.

"You aren't surprised?" Angelia batted the air.

"Of course not, I'm not an idiot. Shadow sent Fifrie here to Teirm, where I had just started to live. He liked me, I liked him and so everything flowed naturally." A sharp word cut through the air.

"No." Eragon looked down at Shadow.

"My name isn't Shadow anymore. It's Kecra." He turned to the two boys.

"Brothers. What happened to you?" The two of them jumped down from the chair and Hyro his Kecra over the head, but playfully.

"You need to learn better control of your powers. Here watch this." He raised a hand and light shot up from his palm, and turned into a sword.

"It would be hard to find something that sharp." Eragon watched him. What else could these three do?

"Alright, Kecra, go on to your tent." The boy walked off with his two brothers, even though he didn't know where his tent was. Arya turned to K'eray.

"You can sleep in my tent if you want." K'eray huddled closer to Brom. "But-But I want to stay with Brom." Eragon almost laughed at the pleading look on his son's face. Eragon walked forward and laid a hand on Arya's back.

"Oh, come on, Arya. Let the two have a little peace and quiet together. Arya looked up at him and her eyes practically said,

"_You know why I don't think it's a good idea." _Eragon smiled and said to the two in front of him,

"Alright, Brom your mother will let you sleep in the same tent as her, and let you stay up and talk, and even hold each other lovingly, but her cloths and your cloths stay on your bodies.

Brom flushed with embarrassment and said,

"Yes, Father." He smiled to K'eray and picked her back up. They left and went straight to Brom's tent. Nasuada dismissed Eragon and Arya on the grounds that it was nearing night and they needed to sleep. The two went to a low rise and sat down side-by-side and watched the lowering sun.

"We made it. We're home." Arya laid her head on Eragon's shoulder.

"You're going to train the other two also?" Eragon nodded.

"The powers that those three posses, I have never seen in all my life." Arya smiled and said,

"They could be of great help." She looked down with her hawk like vision at Brom's tent.

"How long do you think it will take?" Eragon thought for a moment and trying to amuse her said,

"Thirty seconds." Arya laughed and said,

"I'm sure. But seriously how long do you think we have a hold on them?" Eragon thought. He thought about how long they had been apart and how that would affect the decision.

"I'd give it a week, maybe two." Eragon fit his head onto hers and said, "No matter. We're back with the Varden. With those three boy's powers this war will soon end." Arya smiled and whispered,

"You'll train those three and I'll train K'eray. I think that will work out okay." Eragon and Arya slept on the hill, holding each other.

"Good night Arya. I love you." She smiled and fell asleep. Eragon smiled at his love and he too fell asleep.

* * *

**Sorry it took awhile. Now please review! Please! I'm sorry. Need a little motivation**


	9. Three months later

Three months later

"Attack!" Eragon barked the word as an order, but was formed more as a request. Hyro jumped at his youngest brother, with a sword made of nothing but light. Kecra leapt backward, did a flip mid-jump, landed on his hands and sent shadows racing across at his brother like arrows. Hyro's hand clawed up like an eagle's and he slammed his hand against the ground, where light shot out of his palm and surrounded him. With the light around him Kecra's shadows could not touch him. Kecra grinned under his hair, which had grown quiet a bit, and raised a hand. The shadows built on each other until it formed thirteen men, all with bows. Kecra raised his other hand and the fake men shot. At that instant a metal wall screeched out of the ground and the arrows bounced off it harmlessly. It lowered with the same grinding sound. Fifrie stood up and said smugly,

"Miss me?" He clapped his hands together and metal gathered into an axe, which he proceeded to throw at Kecra, make another one, and repeated the process. Finally Kecra stood and pointed at his two brothers. Shadows from all the trees that stood around them gathered and, leaping over the light that came from Hyro, landed and stopped them from moving. Eragon clapped and walked to them.

"Alright Kecra take it off." The boy smiled and flicked a finger. The shadows slithered off them and returned to their owners. The boy's power had grown so much, he could now make near a hundred shadow copies, and control them all as if it were only one. His brothers had nearly equal power. Fifrie could absorb metal and make himself as living metal, as well as summon it from anywhere. His hand was like a magnet to any form of metal. Hyro could gather the sun's light, or any light, focus it into one beam, which he could make invisible at will, and melt virtually anything. Like Kecra he could make copies of with it, although he did not have the advantages that Kecra's did. He had trouble controlling any one of them, and the more he made the less real the looked. It was because, as Hyro said,

"Kecra _has _to have shadows, or else he can't see. I can see without light. He needs his power to live, I don't. Thereby his powers have been enhanced." As they walked back to the camp he talked with the boys.

"I think you have done well these last few months." A humorless laugh came from Hyro.

"You didn't give us much room to lack." Eragon smiled and walked for a few minutes quietly. Saphira had lane her egg and Thorn had given her another one to work on. She spent a good portion of her time in the gave she and Thorn shared. Eragon sighed, thinking about the sapphire dragon with whom he held so dearly. If anything happened to her Eragon would likely go mad. _I wonder if that's what happened to Gailbatorix. _Kecra tapped him on the shoulder. He pointed and said,

"Company." On a large hill sat fourteen men, on white and black horses. Eragon drew Brisingr and the three boys summoned their arts.

"If you serve the Empire, flee. For you can not beat us, no matter what foul power that raving mad king may have given you." The men looked at each other and back at him like they didn't understand him. Kecra looked at the ground. He knelt and felt the ground, were his shadow lay. He stood and said,

"Oscna. Rabni no raki flen. Lo faskn ritho, un divrg nasla. Undagla ma." The men looked at Kecra. The lead man raised his bow and said,

"Ocra noska?" Kecra grunted and said,

"Kecca grintin. Tilsk nothgritla higkra meay dinto." Kecra raised a hand and a shadow burst forth from the ground and raised into the form of two ravens, with red glowing eyes. The men's faces twisted with horror and they all nearly fell off their steads trying to turn around and leave. Kecra lowered his hands and the two shadows sank to the ground.

"What was that?" Kecra turned around and started walking.

"They are of a vicious tribe from the Desert known as Killmash, which means 'Kill many.' When I felt my shadow I was sifting through the leaders thoughts, learning, with super fast speed, their language. They wanted to kill us. What he said first meant, 'Who are you? What do you want? If you do not leave now we will kill you. Well?' So I learned their language and spook in it. They wondered how I had learned their language, which they share with no one. I told them I was Tilfar, their God of the Dark. He commands shadows, just like I do. He takes the form of two ravens. They doubted me and my final words were, 'How dare you! Let me show you the true powers of the gods!' They thought I was going to slaughter them, so they left. It would be best to get out of here, before they realize my trickery." Hyro jumped forward and hit the boy over the head.

"What were you thinking? You could have gotten killed!" Fifrie walked calmly behind and said,

"Leave him alone, Hyro. If he hadn't acted the way he did we all would have died." Hyro grunted and said,

"Let's get out here." Kecra raised his hands and a shadow came up in front of them and they all walked through it.

On the other side Eragon walked through to find that Kecra had transported them to different locations. He now stood in the cave Saphira had built her home in. The dragon raised her majestic head and hummed as she saw him. An orange egg was nestled under her chin. Thorn lay beside her, his tail onto of hers as a sigh of love. Eragon jumped up and crawled onto her.

_Hello Saphira. _The dragon hummed louder as he began to scratch the skin behind her ears.

_Eragon. How are you? _She could sense his weariness from all the training.

_Fine. _He left the encounter with the men a secret, to avoid arousing worry.

_Do you still keep your love with Arya a secret from the elf Kroger? _Eragon nodded. It was a decision both he and Arya had agreed upon. Partly because of Arya still having hatred for him, but also because of safety. Eragon could not shake the feeling that Kroger was the Carrier that Blagden had prophesiesed, and that he should keep him away from Arya, and the secret of their love away from his knowledge. As a result they were forced to leave the camp whenever they wanted to be together, as Kroger would not stay away from Arya if at all possible.

_We do. _Saphira snorted.

_You know it won't last long. _Eragon shook his head, tired with all the work he had put in to train the three boys.

_I don't know. I love Arya, but I don't want Kroger to hurt her. So I choose to keep it a secret. _Saphira disagreed but gave no voice to it. Eragon got off her and hugged her neck, then left. He ran, fast as the wind, to his tent, slowing down a few hundred feet before it. He stopped and panted for a few moments then went inside. It was dark inside, on account of his tent flaps being tied to the ground on all sides, and he trouble seeing.

"Light." The tent lit up and Eragon jumped back as he saw Elva sitting in a chair on the far side of the tent. She stared at him with eyes that looked like sapphire moons. Her beauty had enhanced again and again to the point where Eragon watched her walk by and saw the tens of hundreds of males tracking her. They could not even guess her age, for her charms masked it.

"We need to talk Eragon." She wore a small night dress, indicating she had just awoken from sleep. He backed into a corner. For all he loved Arya and wanted her to trust him, he didn't trust himself to resist Elva's seductive capabilities.

"What is it?" Elva did not approach him but simply said,

"All the boy's in the Varden are in love with me. It's as if without your harmful addition to your blessing in Farthen Dur my pain has been transformed into beauty." Her voice was no longer that of a world weary adult, but that of a women in the prime of her youth. As a result she seemed to be around twenty or twenty one. She took a step towards him and said,

"Why do you think they all love me?" As she moved one of the straps on her shoulder fell down and Eragon felt a surge in him. Heat began to infuse him, yet he tried to force it down. She took another step towards him, slow and sly.

"Why do they all love me, yet I love none of them?" Eragon gulped.

"I-I don't know." She took another step, then another, and another. She had now virtually destroyed the distance between them.

"I think I know. Do you remember? All those things we did? Together?" She took one last step, which left her less then a foot from Eragon. She leaned forward.

"Why do you find me so dangerous? Why are you so stiff?" Eragon gulped and just went out and said it.

"Because Arya trusts me, finally, and now looking at you all I want to do is undress you." Elva put a hand on his bare arm and looked at him with large blue eyes.

"Aw, but didn't you place a word of power, so that she may never find out about it?" Eragon jerked his head downward. That was so.

"Then what do you fear?" Eragon looked at her helplessly. Elva sighed and said to no one in particular,

"What should I do?" She smiled and reached up to the last remaining strap which barely held her dress up. She pulled it out and the garment slowly fell. As her full breasts came into view, Eragon lost himself. He reached out and grabbed her breast and she, losing herself also, shoved the rest of her dress down. She pushed her sandles off and jumped onto him, rapping her legs around him. Eragon's primale male instetics were far ahead of his thoughts. All he could think about was stripping Elva and getting her to a bed were he could get himself in her. He found the bed and pushed her onto it. He pushed her back and she said, partly discoherant,

"Ah, yes!" He took her legs and she started to moan. He did more and more until she arched her back and screamned. Eragon chuckled, why he did not know, and throw down his pants. He took her thiegs and....somewhere with his powerful hearing he heard a horror-filled scream. He stopped. Elva looked up at him and said,

"Why are you stopping? Get in me!" He let go of her and walked outside. He had heard a scream, but so faintly he doubted Elva, or anyone else for that matter, had heard it. Elva was yelling at him, but not in her right mind. The scream came again.

_Arya! _He snapped his fingers and his cloths flew at him and rapped themselves around him as he ran. The scream came every few thirty seconds and so he was led from point to point into the twisted jungles that surrounded the Jiet River. He jumped over logs, ran through vines, lept over animals that failed to get out of his way, and otherwise made his way to the sound of his loved one.

Arya lay completely naked with vines rapped around her arms and legs and one around her forehead. Onto of her was Kroger. The elf's eyes were closed, and he seemed to be snoring slightly. Yet his hands and head moved to fulfill sexual desire. Arya let loose with another scream, this one so loud Eragon nearly went deaf. Her face was like a cornered rabbit with a wolf attacking it. Her face showed nothing but fear and terror. Eragon drew Brisingr and leapt at Kroger, pushing him off Arya and cut the vines that held her down. He knelt and hugged her.

"It's alright, it's alright." She looked at Kroger and screamed a spell. The elf had been getting up, but then fell back again as magic forced gravity onto him. Eragon looked over at him and said,

"Hold." The gravity did not increase, but it would hold it out against spells of Kroger's. Arya took his shirt and barried her face in his chest, sobbing the whole time. Kroger groaned and sat up. Eragon looked over at him in astohinsment. He shouldn't have been able to lift a finger! He looked over and stood up and ran over to them.

"What in the name of-" He stopped and looked upward as he noticed that she was naked.

"What happened?" Eragon stood and pointed his sword at him.

"Brisingr!" The sword erupted into flames. "Alright, talk. What did you do?" Kroger looked at him with complete innocence.

"I didn't do anything! I just woke up!" Eragon looked down at Arya, as if to ask her if they should forgive hm again. Arya shook her head and sobbed,

"Don't. Ju-Just make him leave. Forever!" Eragon raised his sword and waved to the east. Kroger looked astonished.

"For what? What did I do? Arya you can't be serious. Banish me for doing nothing?" Arya looked at him for a split second and then moved her face away from him.

"Go. You can stay in the Varden but never, ever, talk to me, look at me, whatever, again." Kroger's mouth dropped open and he looked back and forth between the two. His eyes landed with cold hatred on Eragon.

"Fine." He jumped into a tree and left. In his mind words formed.

_Beware for the carrier of the Flames Of Pain is relentless and he_ _is on the _**_Ever Lasting_**_ Horizon of Time and he sees you and he seeks to burn you again. The time draws near when you will burn. Few is the number that will save you. The guardian will leave the guarded and the Carrier will _**_BURN_**_! _


	10. Plans of Leaving and Finding

Eragon stood and watched Kroger jump, in a storm of rage, to the ground and run back to the camp.

_Ice will met with fire, and one will lose and a one will win. _Eragon looked up as a twig snapped and saw Kecra, Hyro, and Fifrie walk into the opening. Fifrie, being the most free-going of the trio, said,

"U'sup?" Eragon sigh through his nose and said,

"Alright, let's get her back. Transform into your cat forms and lets move." The three wavered and morphed into cats. The lay Arya across the their backs and started to walk back to the Varden, which turned out to be harder then Eragon had expected. In his head-long rush to reach Arya he had not noticed the ground and all the obstacles that lay in between the two points. It took them an hour to even get out of the jungle, which was much larger then Eragon thought the climate should allow. All in all it took two and a half hours to reach the camp. At a good distance he stopped and said,

"Take her to her tent. Put her in bed and leave. Let her sleep." The three cats stalked off with twitching tails. Eragon looked back up at the sky.

"Only an hour to sunset." A small voice beside him whispered,

"That's right." Eragon jumped backward. He looked to his left, where the voice had come from, and saw Gridor standing, leaning on a rock.

"What are you doing? You about gave me a heart attack!" Gridor laughed for a moment, that laugh turning angrier and angrier, until he opened his mouth and burst fire out. The torrent was so hot it turned white and lit up the camp. Eragon ducked and covered his face with magic. Gridor snapped his jaws shut. Flickering jets of flame burst from his mouth as he said,

"Honestly, you of all people. When I first met you, Trianna was your mate. Then Arya in the Varden. And now I find you with Elva, completely naked on a bed. When will you be satisfied?" Eragon stood from his crouched position.

"I am satisfied." Gridor let out a humorless laugh.

"Oh, no your not. You couldn't resist Elva if she cast a glance your way. Do you not love Arya?" Eragon looked up at the sky and mouthed words. Then he looked at the tall dragon, who stood like a human.

"I do love Arya." Gridor snarled in a way that Eragon began to fell frightened.

"You can come out now." The bush's beside Eragon began to rustle and Elva walked out. Eragon caught his breath. Gridor looked at him and then shook his head.

"Pitiful. Elva-" he directed his gaze at her"-tell Eragon what you came here to tell." Elva walked forward and took Eragon's face. He was finally forced to look into her face, and was surprised to see a smile.

"Eragon, stop with all this pointless worry. It's without reason. If Arya is the woman you want to be with, all you need do is say so." Eragon looked at her helplessly. He wanted to be with Arya, yet his Rider's instinct told him to be fair to everyone.

"What of you?" Elva tossed her long black hair.

"I am used to being hurt, Shadeslayer." Eragon's heart dropped at her words. Did she have to bring that up, and make him feel even more guilty.

"Elva.....it isn't that I don't want to be with you in particular, it' just-" Elva cut him off.

"You'd just rather be with Arya.'" Eragon's shoulders sagged.

"Elva, I'm not trying to hurt you." A small tear ran down the girl's face.

"The world always tries and hurts you, Shadeslayer." Elva spun around and walked off, starting to cry. Gridor looked at him and nodded.

"Better. I don't want to hurt Elva but you can't go on switching mates like this. Honestly, next thing I know you'll be sleeping with the Queen." Eragon cast an angry look at the dragon.

"Why did you do that?" He gripped the pummel of Brisingr and with a sound of sharp objects cutting air, Gridor's wings shot out from his back. He fanned them and said,

"Choose once and for all whom you will love, and love them. Do _not _try me." He jumped and flew off. His words were trigthening, but not undoly so. Grounding his teeth Eragon sprinted back to the camp. He stopped to leave Brisingr in his tent, then went to Nasuada's tent.

She sat next to Orion, talking about things Eragon did not think he needed, yet, to know. As he walked in he heard Nasuada say,

"-and if that should occur then I highly doubt that Eragon or-" She stopped as she saw him enter.

"Eragon, come in." He stepped into the hot-aired room and took a set. "What can I do for you?" Eragon shook his head.

"I need something to do." Nasuada smiled. She seemed to be dueling on what lay ahead.

"The pains of staying in place are sometimes more painful then on the march. _We_-" she cast a glance at Orion, "-have been dicussing our departuer, and continued attack on the Empire. We have gained so much since we stopped, five to six months ago. We have gotten two new Riders, one of which taken from the King himself, and three boys who hold the powers of elements in their hands. Eragon, tell me, are their more like them? Someone out there that can control other things like the wind or rain?" Eragon thought back to when Kecra, Shadow then, had spoken of a Father and how Hyro had always acted like him.

"There are at least two more. The three's mother and father. As for the rest, only Hyro, Fifre, and Kecra know." Nasuada looked thoughtfully. "

The Varden will move out tommarow. I want you to talk to those three and find out if there are more, and if so, if they will fight with us." Eragon stood. He had gotten what he wanted. He turned and, with a bow to them both, departed. He went to his tent, to retrive Brisingr. As he neared he saw Arya standing in the front of it. She smiled at him as he approached.

"Eragon. Do you remember this place?" He looked around.

"The Varden's camp?" Arya shook her head, long hair flying.

"No. This is were we first fell in love." Eragon nearly hit himself on the forehead for forgetting. He went over and sat down beside her.

"They are found memories." Arya giggled, a strangre noice from an elf, and said,

"I know you have things to do. I just wanted to commemerate. Eragon stood, now whising that he hadn't gone to Nasuada wanting something to do, and said,

"How go's things with K'eray and our son?" Arya looked over to K'eray's tent and saw that a portion of the side flap was jerking filantly. From inside there came panting. Arya looked back at Eragon, worry on her face, and took off running. When they got to the tent the panting had increased in volume and speed. Arya pulled the flap aside and stepped in. K'eray sat on her bed, facing the tent flap, punching it over and over. She stopped and looked at Arya. Her hair was so out of place, it looked like a wet mop. Her cloths were loosened in her blouse and her pants.

"Oh, hi Arya." Eragon stepped in slowly, smelling the air.

"Brom's been here resiently." K'eray shrugged.

"We share a tent, remember? He was here about fifteen minutes ago." Eragon kneeled down and looked at a track in the ground. It fit Brom's and from the look of it he had been carrying something heavy, and had been in a rush. He followed the track's, which continued on to the bed, stopped, turned and move to the far side of the tent, not carrying the weight as before. As he followed it back to the bed, he noticed one of his son's boots sitting, nearly covered by the bed's blackets.

"Well, Arya, wherever he went he went barefooted." He pointed out the boot and K'eray began to look worried.

"I'm trying to work here. Could you please come back another time?" While she talked, Eragon could feel her sending words through the mind touch. The oot began to shift every so slowly. Eragon grinned as the componets of the situation gathered themselves and formed a logical salution.

"Brom, get out here, now." He waved a hand towards the opening of the bed and magic started to pull the boy out.

K'eray jumped off the bed and said deviantly,

"We wern't doing anything." Arya grinned and said,

"Must have been an affuly eventful 'not doing anything', counting those lip marks on your neck." K'eray's hand shot up to her neck and she pulled her shirt collor over it. She stamped a foot in the ground.

"This is an invasion of privace!" Arya smiled back, which obviously angered K'eray, and said,

"Really? Two apprentices breacking the rules, knowingly, and the teachers stopping it is an invasion of privace?" K'eray glared back at her mentor.

"Why can't you trust me? I said we wern't doing anything, and we wern't!" Arya shrugged.

"Well then you should have no problam with a mind inspection as prove." As she said she aimed her thoughts at K'eray and the elf's shoulder collapsed.

"Alright, already. We were....." She stopped as Brom's legs started to be uncovered from the bed. Eragon cleared his throat.

"Stop." The magic stopped pulling at the half-elf pulled himself out.

"Father, what do you want?" Brom's face was completly calm, suprising as that was because he was getting caught redhanded, as he talked to his father.

"What I need is information as to why you were hiding under K'eray's bed." Brom looked fackly confused.

"What do you mean 'hiding?" Eragon sighed, cleared his throat again and said,

"Hiding. The act of concealing one's self so as not to be found." Brom frowned.

"So you think I was _hiding_?" He pronounced the word like it was new.

"Yes, Brom. Stop acting stupid. You're not." Brom looked up at his slightly taller father.

"It's like K'eray said. We wern't doing anything." Eragon smiled at his son and then turned to Arya.

"What should we do?" Arya looked at the two young elves and thought.

"Well, K'eray, this is the second time you disobeied the deal we had. So, what do you think is a good punishment?" K'eray tried to interject.

"I told you were wern't-" Arya caught her off.

"No. I asked you, what do you think a good punishment for you two would be?" Brom took K'eray in his amrs and hugged her.

"They're right you know?" He looked over at his father and mouthed,

"_What are you doing? You going to stop her or not?" _Eragon smiled again and laid a hand on Arya's shoulder.

"I think-" He winked at Arya, "-that we should make them kiss each other, then make them stop." Arya grinned at his suggestion.

"Perhaps we should." She looked at the two.

"Well. Go on. Kiss." K'eray looked at Brom, and Brom looked at K'eray. Hesatintly, for they know what awaited them, they both moved forward and laid their lips on each others. Eragon and Arya waited until Brom and K'eray began to feel like they wern't going to seperate them and then they moved forward and pulled the two aparte. Brom glared at Eragon. K'eray glared at Arya. Then K'eray straightened her back and said,

"Stop us all you want. Eventually we will be together when you two are away. Come on Brom." She spun around and, with Brom walking close behind, walked out of the tent. Eragon laughed.

"She's right, you know?" Arya nodded, the slightest hint of a smile on her face. She poked him.

"You have a job to do. Go and do it." Eragon turned and walked out, meantally locating the boys. They were sitting on a rock, in cat form, sunning themselves. Eragon walked over and patted one, he couldn't tell which one it was due to the similarites in their appereances, and said

, "Come on, wake up. I need to ask you something. The cat sat up and yawned. He raised a paw and started to clean his face. By the way he did it he could tell it was Fifrie, or Solembum. The boy, along with his brothers, wavered and morphed into human form. Fifrie stood and jumped off the rock.

"What is it?" Eragon caught Kecra, for he could not see when he wasn't touching shadows, as he jumped off the rock. Kecra shook himself.

"Hate doing that." Eragon turned his attention to Fifre and Hyro.

"I need to know something. Excluding your parents, are their any other beings in the world that share your power?" Hyro and Fifre looked at each other. Fifrie looked back at Eragon.

"There are, in tottaly, seventeen beings that have our bloodline. Us being three of them. However, they hid and look as they want, and to try and persuade all of them to fight is a next to impossible task. If you want, Kecra, Hyro, and myself could summon them for you. It would take a few days, though." Eragon smiled. This was going far better then he had thought.

"Please do so."


	11. Birth

**Short, short, short chapter. **

Birth

Trianna growned as she rolled out of her bed. She couldn't believe how hard it was being pregnant. She was in the last month now, which was by far the hardest. She had to eat for two living things, and one of them always didn't quite like what was given to it. She throw up constantly. She looked down at her stomach.

"What am I going to do with you?" She spoke to her unborn child like it was alive. She sighed and got out of her bed. Even that was a struggle. She clambered outside and saw Ildrea, her best friend, standing outside.

"You alright?" Trianna grunted and said,

"Well I'm sick of being pregnant if that's what you mean. Honestly, the events that take place before it are fine, but after it, it's like the baby is punishing me." Ildrea nodded, a knowing look on her face.

"I agree. I did warn you not to try Eragon." Trianna leaned against a post, thinking of the young Rider.

_Stupid Arya. _She thought bitterly. Even after she had been thrown aside for the elf, she couldn't help but be attracted to him.

_I'm the one who's pregnant with his child now. _Then she thought back to Brom, Arya's boy.

_My child will not know of his/her relation to that feckless elf. _Ildrea took her arm and said,

"Well if you're too tired to do much, would you like to go and see Elain?" Trianna smiled. The two pregnant women had quickly became friends.

"Sure. Let's go." They started off to the blacksmith's workshop. Even with her belly rounded to a ghastly size, men stopped in what they were doing to stare at her. She felt valued under their gaze.

"How is it-" Ildrea talked from beside her, "-that you can attract those men with a round stomach, yet you can not attract Eragon?" Trianna smiled and batted her eyes seductively at a large, muscular man who was staring at her. She cast a quick glance at her.

"Oh, I don't know. He is a Rider." She looked back at the man.

"Trianna." She looked back at the older women.

"What?" Ildrea looked at her sternly.

"Do you love this Eragon or not?" She took one last look at the man, pushing the thoughts of what it would be like with him in a dark room, and reluctantly looked at the ground.

"I think I do." Ildrea stopped and said,

"Well we're here now. I'm going to see about some wounds." With that she left. Trianna walked to the back of the tent and saw Elain sitting in a rocking chair, knitting. She looked up and smiled.

"Trianna. It's good to see you. Come, sit." Trianna walked forward and awkwardly sat down.

"How's the baby setting?" Trianna looked with irritation at Horst, his two sons, Brom, and some other elf as they worked in the forge.

"Not well. I throw up every single morning. I can't eat anything, because I know it'll just come right back up." Elain half smiled half grimaced.

"I'm going through the same thing." Trianna growned as another wave of uncomfortableness attacked her.

"How much longer is this going to take?" Elain's fingers moved in a blur as she knitted. Not for the first time, Trianna wondered how the woman had gotten so good. She hated knitting.

"Until you give birth." Trianna moaned and slumped in the chair.

"How long could that take?" Elain looked up as one of her sons came over and said,

"We're on break now." She continued to knit.

"Well that depends. I'm late as it is. If you gave birth some time this week then you'd be early. It varies from woman to woman." Elain looked over at Trianna, a curious look on her face.

"By the way, I never asked you but who is the father?" Trianna snapped up. She couldn't tell the woman, and at the same time shame Eragon, and herself.

_What to do, what to do? _

At that exact moment the elf that she couldn't remember the name to walked by. His name suddenly clicked in her head and without thinking she blurted out,

"Faolin." Elain's eyebrows shot up in surprise. She looked at the elf who had stopped.

"What?" He obviously thought Trianna was about to ask him something. She stood and wrapped an arm around his.

"The father is Faolin." The elf looked from Trianna, to Elain, and back to Trianna.

_Role with it. _The elf seemed to think for half a second then smiled warmly at Trianna. He laid a hand on her arm.

"Why? Is that so surprising?" He leaned down and put his head on Trianna's. He smiled and without moving his mouth much said,

"I assume you'll explain yourself later?" Trianna nodded.

"Yep. He's the father." She was speaking to both Elain and Faolin. Elain look thoroughly shocked.

"Well I never would have assumed." Trianna nodded again.

"Yes, well we really must be going." She pulled on Faolin's arm and they walked away. When they reached Trianna's tent she opened it and Faolin walked inside.

"Alright, start explaining." Trianna geasuted to a chair.

"Sit." He sat down and folded his legs.

"Alright, to be blunt, I'm pregnant, as you can see, and the father is really Eragon. However I can't let anyone know that, so I need you to be the cover father." Faolin stared at her for a long moment. His gaze gradually went from receptive, to appreciative. It took her a minute to realize it, but it snapped to her attention that he was looking at her in, and admiring her features. At the same time she was looking at him. He was a very muscular elf, with a deep chest and large arms. He smiled at her as his eyes trailed over her chest. She smiled back.

"Or if you want you could-" She moved her hips seductively, "-make another reason for why people would think your the father. Faolin looked up at her, because he had been staring at her legs, and smiled. He stood and walked to her. She lifted her arms as he bent down. She she first touched him he lose control of himself and ripped off her shirt, bra, pants, and every other layer of clothing. He picked her up and took her to the bed. When he took off his pants she sat up. He looked at her and gasped as she took him in her hands. As she moved him she whispered,

"Well it's clear you want to be more then the 'cover' father. I can't do it now, because of the baby. After I give birth." Faolin tried to force thoughts past her warm hands on him and managed,

"Fine. But don't stop doing that." She giggled in a sly, seductive manner, a manner which she had perfected.

"I suppose there's no reason to stop." For the next half hour they went as far as they could. Then Trianna felt something push inside her. It was so unexpected she sad,

"Ow." Faolin looked up from his position in-between her legs.

"What?" She shook her head.

"I-I don't know. I just felt really weird all of a sudden. It stopped I think." The push happened again.

"Ow, no, there it is again." Faolin stood up, suspicion crossing his face. She looked up at him, fear and happiness filling her.

"D-Do you think it's-" He nodded.

"I think it's." He picked her up, put all her cloths back on with a spell and walked her to the healers tent. In twenty minutes they had confirmed that she was in labor and that she would give birth soon. On of the healers bent down and said,

"Who's the father? I'll go get him if you want." Faolin put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm the father." Trianna gave birth, a good number of hours, to a son. The elven attributes of age were given to the child, were the appearances of the child were Trianna's. She was grateful for that. If he had looked like Eragon, people would soon find out about it. With Faolin's help she named her son Reja.


	12. Gathering

Gathering

Eragon stood over what looked like a bowl in the earth. It was a sort of canyon, but it was made into a circle form. At the bottom there were

four shapes, three being the brothers. The fourth was a silver long and slender werecat. Hyro, Fifrie, and Kecra were all in there cat forms.

Eragon had learned from the three of them that every werecat was born with an unnatural ability over something, and that no one were cat's

power was the same as another. He looked up at the full moon. Kecra had sent out a howl the previous night that had summoned their

brethren. Kecra warned that not all of them would come, as some were stubborn. Eragon looked back down as he saw Hyro and the slender

silver werecat walk to a small cave. They sat down and Hyro began licking the others face, looking, as he did so, like a completely ordinary cat.

The silver one began to purr and pushed her head under his chin. Eragon heard paws patting on rock and Kecra jumped onto the ledge Eragon

stood on. He wavered and stood as a human again. He looked up at Eragon with blind eyes. "What are you thinking?" Eragon shock his head

and nodded to Hyro. "Who's the female?" Kecra sat down so his legs fell off into the side of the bowl-like canyon. "Her name is Luron. She and

Hyro met when I was around twenty. I'm almost a century old now. She traveled with us for some months and as is the nature of this, they fell

in love. But when we were caught by Gailbatorix and I used my shadow to move us out of his grip, they were separated. I assume that she

was thrown into some random city. She was the first to arrive tonight." The boy raised a leg and then froze. Eragon tilted his head to the side

and saw a jet black werecat walking to them. "No way-" The black cat shot forward snarling, "Hey shrimp. Miss me?" The cat obviously had no

clue of the training Eragon had put him through. Kecra fell onto his back and used his arms to shot himself into the air. Mid-jump he spun so his

legs were pointing to the ground and landed. He raised his hands to both sides and shadows moved around them, and were flung at the black

werecat. Something like a snort of contempt came from the cat and with so much speed that it ripped sand out from four feet below he was

gone. Eragon's eyes flew up in surprise. He gripped Brisingr's pummel, ready. He had not trained Kecra for this. A burst of light came from Hyro's

palm. Eragon looked down to see that he had changed to human form. "Gagro, stop torturing my brother." Gagro spun to a stop and jumped

down into the canyon. Kecra lowered his hands. "Gagro. Most aggressive one that will show up here." He sniffed and looked over to see two

cats slip out from the shade of a bush. The left one was a dark gray, while the other was a brown, with small splashes of white. The dark gray

looked young. As they approached Kecra stood and walked over to them. "Eragon this is L'ura. She has the abilities to absorb someone's

knowledge, and as such she is incredibly smart." The young cat looked rather shy around Kecra. "And this is her sister, Lynay. She has the

power to control ones thoughts. The two have a similar power." Kecra leaned forward and gave them each a lick on their face. L'ura flinched

back for a moment and then purred. Kecra smiled with some emotion and licked her again. L'ura hesitated for a moment and then walked

forward so that her chest touched Kecra's. Lynay spoke up then. Her voice sounded old, even though she didn't look it. "That's enough of that!"

She batted L'ura's pointed ears and pushed Kecra away. L'ura glared venomously at her sister. Kecra staggered back from to force of her

shove.

He looked up and hissed. Lynay hit him over the ear. "Don't you hiss at me!" L'ura walked up to the two cats. "Why did you push him away? I

liked it when he was lick-" She cast an embarrassed look at Kecra, then lowered her gaze. Lynay looked Kecra up and down. "If you have a

mate, it will at least be someone that can at least _see._" With that she trotted off to the direction of the canyon. Kecra glared at her. He stood up

and ran off in the direction of a low hill. L'ura raised a paw, stopped, then went after him saying, "Kecra, wait." Eragon sighed. He walked back

to the bowl canyon and say Fifrie greeting a pale white male. He jumped the fifteen or so feet to the bottom and walked over to them. Fifrie

looked up at him and said, "This is Deka. He was my best friend." The cat's eyes widened and he jumped, in some amusement, saying, "'Was?'

I'm not anymore? You couldn't have possibly have found a mate!" With that the two went into play fight. A burst of light so powerful it hurt

Eragon's eyes erupted from his side. Hyro stood with a shinning palm on a low slab of rock that allowed him to stand over the other werecat's.

He wavered and went into his cat form. Luron stood with adoring eyes looking at Hyro. The others slowly assembled below the ledge. More had

arrived, and Kecra and L'ura and returned. In total there were thirteen of them. All of them were a different color, and it looked to Eragon

almost like a cluster of Dragons. "Werecat's! Gailbatorix, the ever-cursed King, has destroyed our kind since the fall of the riders. Through the

ability of our special powers, we hide and evaded him. But how long will that last? It will last as long as the Varden fight him, and as long as the

elves can resist him. It is but a temporary defensive measure, for that evil tyrant grows more and more strong and soon not even our Powers

will save us. I and my brothers were caught by him and would have been his slaves today had my brother, Kecra, not used his Power to

transport us away. If the Varden lose, and the Elves lose, no more will there be a place to run and hide. No longer will there be a place of

safety. Our race will go extinct and there will be no end to Gailbatorix. But-" Here he stopped and his palm shimmered. "-we have the power to

stop him. We are werecat's! We are stronger then that evil misbegotten vermin! Without us the Varden will fail and all will be lost. So I ask you

will you fight for the slain people of the world?" He looked over the cats that had begun to mutter to each other. Gagro rose. His fur made him

hard to see in the bad light. "_If _we fight for the Varden, and we should lose, how would killing us in fighting solve the problem of our

eradication?" Hyro looked down on him. "If we fight then we will win. But if we hide it is impossible to live." Gagro sat back down and put his

head on his paws. "Well Hyro, it seems to me that we're living and hiding at the same time." An almost orange werecat stood and objected to

his words. Arguments quickly began among them and at that instant they all froze. Not one of them moved a single strand of hair. Kecra walked

through them, eleven shadows coming from his paws. The had attached themselves to the cats and rendered them motionless. The ones that

were left out where himself and L'ura, who walked close behind him. "I for one will fight for the Varden. I have no wish to let that King win

through my inaction." Hyro smiled at his younger brother and Fifrie stood. "Well, while I dislike work, I suppose it will mean my death if I don't. I

will fight." He sat back down and went into a roll as Deka tackled him saying, "Show off! I'll fight too!" In Eragon's mind he counted how many

would help. _Four. _Luron stood and cast a loving glance at Hyro. "I would not dream of staying behind, and causing the deaths of hundreds if not

thousands on beings. I will fight." L'ura walked forward and shyly said, "If I don't fight then, as Hyro said, we will lose."

Gagro stood and rolled his shoulders. "Well I have no interest in fighting for the hopeless. I've done well enough on my own, and I can continue

to do so." He turned and jumped the whole ledge to the surface above. He ran off at an incredible speed. Back in the hole Hyro shook his head,

sighing. Luron laid her head on his shoulder, whispering, "Some times you can't save everyone. If he doesn't want to be saved, who are we to

tell him otherwise?" He nodded and said, "I know. I just wish he could see the value of fighting back." He straightened himself and said louder,

"Who else?" Lynay stood up. "I have seen more then you could possible imagine. Having the power to control another's thinking has aged me. I

am still as young as I was before I found my power, but in my experience I can tell that the Varden shall win. I will fight." _Seven. _So far it was

looking good. A brown cat stood. From beside him Kecra whispered, "Olam The Wise. Oldest werecat in existence. Has the power to transform

into any living thing." The cat lifted his gaze to Hyro. "I am old. I have seen nine Blood Oath Celebrations. I have lived with every one of the

races. I was old before Gailbatorix's great grand father was born." He turned his gaze to Eragon and Eragon felt like the cat knew something

about him that he was hiding. "I know things about everyone of you that you would not believe. Secrets about your life that the life forms know

but you do not. I hold all life precious. As a result, I will fight." A tremor ran down Eragon's back. The cat knew something about Eragon, but

what? More and more cats said that they would fight, until they were on the last, a golden male that looked like a lion. "Matric. He has the

power of both ice and fire. Strongest of us all." From a few feet beside him he heard Lynay mutter, "And the best looking one." L'ura swatted

her ear. "How can you tell me to stay away from Kecra and go and say something like that?" The cat sneered. She cast a mocking glance at

Kecra. "Because Matric isn't _blind_." Like swords being drawn before a battle, Kecra's claws shot out from his paws. He raised one at her and his

shadow began to move, when L'ura moved and put a paw on it. She leaned forward and gently licked his face. "Don't. She isn't worth it." Kecra

lowered his paw and his claws retracted into his paw. The shadow gradually moved back to his body. Matric was talking again. "I am the

strongest one here. Foolish it would be not to fight, since I can contribute the most. I will fight." Deka, who was apparently the youngest there,

said, "He's a major self praiser." Hyro spoke. "Those who choose to fight will survive. Fight whole heartedly. As the elven poet said, 'He who

seeks to save his life will lose it, but he who seeks to give his life for a greater cause has saved his life already.' Now, follow me back to the

camp." He jumped down from the rock and ran off in the direction of the Varden's camp. As the old cat, Olam, passed Eragon he looked up at

him. "I know. The things that your father hide from everyone, are not hidden from me. I see with more then my eyes." Eragon looked down at

him, confused. "Please, explain." The cat raised a paw and licked it. "There is someone you already know who will tell you. She will explain. But

know this, your hated enemy is not all to you then you think. You have powers that you are unaware of. Go and talk to him and he will tell you."

Eragon walked back to his tent. "_Him _must refer to someone I know, who happens to be male. Blindingly obvious but true. The fact that _him _

would know my powers must mean that it is someone who shares in my powers." He smiled to himself. "And who else is that but my

namesake?" He walked into the tent and went straight to his bed. There he lay himself down and slept.

_Eragon awoke to find himself in the same star filled clearing as his first meeting with the Rizdar. Eragon 1 was sleeping against a tree beside him. _

_Eragon patted him saying, "Hey, wake up!" Eragon 1 jolted. He looked at him and coughed. "Oh, hey. Sorry I am really tired. What is it?" Eragon stood _

_and looked around. None of the other Rizdar was there. "A werecat just told me that you could explain powers of mine that I'm unaware of." The elf _

_shrugged. "Little is impossible with the magic word. In fact, there really are no limits, unless you overwhelm its strength." Eragon sat back down. He _

_hadn't mentioned that when he first told him about it. "So wait......could I......bring someone back from the dead?" The elf looked into the sky and _

_thought. Then he shrugged. "Heck, why not. I guess you could, so long as the life form wasn't to big." Eragon looked at him with an open mouth. _

_"Then......then I could bring Brom back to life?" The elf again looked into the sky. "Ummmmm.......yeah it should work." Eragon jumped up and said. _

_"Alright, that's enough for now."_

Eragon awoke in his room. He got out of bed and quickly started to pack his belongings. He could bring Brom back! He would have a living

parent! Perhaps Brom knew of what Fifrie's prophecy meant. Eragon walked to the entrance to the tent and then stopped. He turned and saw

a dark form. It moved and materialized into a young boy. "Can I help you?" The boy looked up at him and smiled. "My mother is hiding who my

father is." Eragon looked down at the ground for a moment and then back at him. "Is that my concern?" He was ruder then he meant to be, but

he know he had to get going as soon as possible. The boy shrugged. "Well considering that the father is you, I would assume so." Eragon spun

around saying, "What?" The boy shook his head. He walked to him and pushed him out the door. "No questions. You must go. If it'll help, the

mother is Trianna." Eragon nodded and took off running, despite the baggage he carried. He could not afford to be gone for more then a few

days. As a result, he had to fly. He reached the base of Saphira's home cliff and said, "Rise." He rose to the entrance and say Saphira lying on

her side, with Thorn licking the scales on her back. "Saphira." She raised her head and joy leapt across their connection, _Eragon. Why are you _

_packed? _He explained quickly. _I can not take you. I have an egg to take care of, not to mention another one inside me. _Eragon groaned. He looked

at Thorn. "Can you take me?" Thorn thought about it then lay his head on Saphira's flank. _What do you think? _Saphira gently licked his check, a

dragon's sign of affection, and said back, "_You know you don't have to ask me about everything." _Thorn chuckled deep in his throat, a sound like a

land slide. He turned his gaze to Eragon. _I guess. Where are we going? _Eragon sighed with relief. That was his transportation complete. "Dras-

Leona. To Brom's tomb." Thorn rose and gave Saphira a lick of good bye. _Farewell, Love of My Life. _Saphira hummed. Eragon jumped onto Thorn

and quickly realized that the spikes on his back were longer then Saphira's. _I'll have to be more careful then usual. _Thorn cast one last glance at

Saphira, hummed, and then jumped off the cliff. As the neared the ground Thorn snapped open his wings and caught them out of mid air and

flapped twice, gaining altitude and speed. They landed in front of Murtagh's tent. He came out, Faola beside him. "Eragon, what the blast are

you-" He was cut off as the wind from Thorn's speed hit him in the face. He ducked down until it settled. "What are you doing? Is one dragon

not enough for you?" Eragon jumped down and explained. "I have a chance to bring him back to life, which would help the Varden immensely."

Murtagh looked up at Thorn. A thought passed from him to Thorn, and back to him. He sighed. "Alright. But trust me on my word as a Rider, and

your half-brother, if he gets hurt you'll be the one responsible." Eragon jumped back onto the Thorn. "Understood. Please inform Nasuada of

were I'm going and why." Murtagh nodded, and Thorn took off again. Their last landing was at Arya's tent. He jumped off again; his legs were

getting sore by now, and went to front door. She opened and laughed. She went forward and hugged him.

"Eragon, please come in." He shook his head. "I can't." The story was told to Arya and she went back inside, and came back out with a pack.

Following her was the Mecch Dragon, Gridor. Arya through her pack onto Thorn. "I'm going with you." Eragon opened his mouth and then shook

his head. "Suppose it'll do no good telling you no." Arya nodded, smiling. "Quite." Gridor snarled in a good fashioned way. "I'm not missing out

on a chance like this. I have wings, I can fly. So Thorn won't have an extra weight." K'eray walked out from her tent and ran over to Arya. Her

tent was set twenty feet from Arya's, to both satisfy her need for privacy and eliminate the worry of her and Brom doing things they shouldn't.

"Where are you going?" Arya looked down at her apprentice, because she was slightly taller, and said, "I and Eragon are going to the city of

Dras-Leona, where his father is buried. There we plan on resurrecting him." K'eray gapped. "But how?" Arya nodded to Eragon. "He was the

ability." K'eray looked , in astonishment, from Eragon to Arya, back to Eragon and finally landed on Arya with a slight smile. "Does this mean

that Brom and I can be alone together?" Arya tilted her head back and laughed. "Do you understand why we won't let you?" K'eray shrugged.

"Mentors are mean, they don't need a reason." Arya looked fondly at her apprentice. "No. It's because if you become pregnant, which is an all

to likely chance, you won't be able to fight, and as a result we will lose some support." K'eray's shoulders sagged and she said miserably, "But,

you and Eragon can do it whenever you want. Why can't I and Brom have the same pleasure from each other?" Arya laid a hand on K'eray's

shoulder. "Because Eragon and I are stronger then you and Brom. Tell you what; you and Brom can do whatever you want, so long as what

you do does not lead to your pregnantence. Some day these rules will be lifted, but not now." K'eray brightened at that. "Okay. Have a save

trip." She spun around and ran off, looking for Brom. Arya jumped from Thorn's leg, to his shoulder, and landed behind Eragon. "How long do

you think it will last?" Arya giggled for a moment. "That rule is a trap. I want to test her skill in magic. Letting her do that with Brom is a test to

see if she can push the boundary farther and get away with it." With a sound like cloth ripping, Gridor's wings shot out from his back. He fanned

them. They were over sixteen feet long, unusually for a dragon of his size. He flapped twice, and flew above Thorn, who despite his size

seemed to greatly respect the other dragon. "Well my disciple, shall we fly?" Thorn growled and coiled his muscles and then leapt into the air,

and with that they started their way to the far off city of Dras Leona.


	13. Hanging

K'eray sighed as she watched Brom leave the tent. _That time it was close. _The had just finished with another of their, 'come as close as we can,'

sessions. While it had felt wonderful for K'eray, and Brom, she was upset that they could go no further. She laid back for a few minutes, content

to leave her cloths off of herself. _Arya. Why can't we do what she does? It makes no sense, at all. _For twenty some minutes she lied there, soaking

up the dim and little warmth that came from the outside, and eventually she fell asleep. She knew not how long she slept but when she woke

the full moon was casting it's pale, white rays into the tent. She kept her eyes shoot until she sniffed. She raised a hand to the her nose and

smelled again. She sat up, nearly having a heart attack. "Kroger! Oh my, you scared me." Her elven sub-mentor stepped out of the shadows, a

strange light in his eyes. She wondered at that light then decided it must be the moon rays hitting at an odd angle into his eyes. Something

about the situation bothered her. "Ah, K'eray. I apologize for waking and scaring you." He stepped on step towards her and she suddenly

noticed what was bothering her. She was completely naked. She grabbed the blanket and pushed it over her private parts. "Kroger, could you-"

He reached out and pulled it down slowly with his strength that far surpassed hers. "Oh, don't worry about that." K'eray's large blue eyes

starred into his darker black ones. "I would rather but clothed." Kroger looked at her with a warm, faked, smile and said gently, "K'eray, listen

to your master." Slowly, reluctantly, and calling to Brom with her mind, she allowed him to pull the sheets past her bare skin. Kroger's eyes

landed on her and he examined every knock and cranny on her body. She felt exposed in front of him. He pulled back as he heard someone

running up to the tent. Brom walked in and saw Kroger so close to K'eray, with his hands on the sheets that made it look like he had pulled it

off her, which rightfully he had. He slowly drew his sword. "What are you doing Kroger?" Anger sparked in his eyes and he looked back at

K'eray. He closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath and let it out very slowly. "Nothing. I was getting an item for Saphira that Eragon left in

this tent." Brom looked around animatedly. "Okay, go ahead and get it." Kroger spun around and stalked to the exit. With a venomous glare at

Brom he walked out. Brom went to her and sat down. He looked at her, concerned. "Did he do anything?" K'eray shook her head and stood up.

"No, but I had my worries. I told you I read what he did to your mother from your mother." She took the cord that held her hair in place and

worked at it until it undid, which was so hard to took over two minutes. The whole time she had her chest in his full view. Indeed he could see

little but her shimmering breasts. She straightened and shook her head back and forth, making her dark bangs fly as if they were birds with

collars on. Brom reached out to her and took her hips in both hands, pulling her to him. They met half way and began to kiss each other in every

imaginable place. Thirty minutes later K'eray was lying on her back, drowsily staring at the ceiling as Brom kissed her neck. From somewhere far

off she heard a horn blow. Then two simultaneously.

K'eray and Brom stopped, unsure of what it meant. No war horns blew. From outside marched hundreds, if not thousands of warriors. K'eray

jumped up and spoke in the Ancient Language. Like birds flying to their masters, Brom and K'eray's cloths flew at and attached themselves to

their owners. They both stepped out of the tent to see the men and woman of the Varden gather in front of the hanging post. It was not the

one that Roran had hung on while being wiped, but rather a sturdy tree with but one branch. A rope was intricately wound around it and ended

in a noose. Beside the tree was a podium, on which stood Nasuada. She wore a green dress with silver thread. She held forward a hand and

the men silenced themselves. Nasuada lowered her hand and into it a warrior placed a small scroll. Nasuada seemed tired, and as such recited

the scroll as if directly reading it. "Men of the Varden. You are gathered here today to see the death of a rapist, of whom we will not tolerate

the continued existence of." A large man walked beneath the rope, pushing in front of him a man that looked like countless others. Tall, brown

haired and strong. "The man's name is Triggr, rapper of Katrina wife of Roran. You may proceed." A man with a black cloth covering his face

waked forward and shoved Triggr under the rope, and slipped the noose over his head. K'eray could watch no more. She buried her face into

Brom's shoulder and cried. There was a grunt of effort and then a chocking sound. A man's desperate screams filled the air, then was silent.

Brom quietly escorted K'eray away. "No one should have to see that, but those who commit evil acts deserve evil punishments. So they decided

to walk the path of evil, so they will be punished by evil. 'He who lives by the blade shall die by the blade.' Luandra Silvinson wrote that." K'eray

sobbed against his chest. She firmly believed that no living being deserved to go through that. Two hours later, after the men had went back to

their posts and the body of Triggr had been disposed of, K'eray went with Brom to see Nasuada. Three burly Kull, three dwarfs, and three men

guarded her tent. A male human slammed his sword hilt against his shield and said, "The elf K'eray requests-" He was cut off as Nasuada yelled

from inside, "For goodness sake just let her in! If she was some threat to me how would I know it better then you?" The man sighed and took

two steps to the right, granting K'eray entry. She stalked in before Brom and sat in one of the folding chairs. "Nasuada, I wish to talk to you

about your decision to kill Triggr." Nasuada looked at Brom for a moment as he sat. "For the starting on that subject, his crime is not in the

bounds of argument. In his mind we find evidence that he knowingly and willingly rapped Katrina for no other reason then to harm Roran. The

Varden will _not _tolerate it." K'eray jumped on her statement. "The Varden won't or you won't?" Nasuada's chin lifted slightly and she responded,

"Both." K'eray's anger rose at her blunt statement. Without thinking she said, "What was accomplished by killing him?" Nasuada was slow to

anger, yet quick to respond. "The prevention of letting him do it to anyone else." K'eray growled like some wolf and her hand, under the table,

glowed red with magic. Brom's hand lightly landed on her shoulder. She looked at him to see that he was looking at her with an expression of

gently affection. "Don't. That won't do a thing."

She nodded and said to Nasuada, "Bad and evil things shall always exist, no matter how hard you try to stop them." Nasuada looked at her in

mocked surprise. "So you shouldn't even make an effort?" K'eray's fist shook. "That's not the point I'm trying to make. I just want to make you

see that you made a small error in choice of punishment. Why must death be the only solution?" Nasuada cleared her throat, an angry look in

her eyes. "Because only death can restrain him forever. A cage can not hold him. Eventually he would know the cage so well that he would

know it's weak point, and there he would strike and from there he could escape and hurt even more people. Death is a cage from which no one

escapes." K'eray clenched her fists, trying to fight back the urge to shoot magic at Nasuada. "A cage that should not be erected unless

necessary. What you did was wrong!" Nasuada stood and waved a hand at her entering guards. She looked down at the elf, whom by all rights

was more powerful then her, and said, "K'eray I assure you that it was needed. I would not kill someone if it weren't." K'eray looked at her

love, Brom, for some form of help. He merely smiled and mouthed, "This is your fight." She sighed and slumped in her chair. "Alright, I believe

you on your word, but death is a cage so powerful that even if one were to change it wouldn't allow them a way out." Nasuada nodded.

"Precisely." K'eray's mouth dropped. She actually thought that it was right. She opened her mouth to speak but was stopped when she heard a

guard, Urgal by the sound of his voice, saying, "Do we let this man enter, Lady Nightstalker?" Nasuada sighed and yelled at him to let him in.

The man stepped in, panting so hard it looked like he was sick. "Lady.....Nasuada. It's Kroger. He's.........gone."


	14. Father and Uncle

K'eray walked beside a brown and white specked werecat who walked along the trail of Kroger's foot prints. Every few paces she would stop

and sniff at the ground. Then the werecat would examine some tiny detail of the foot print that K'eray could not even begin to understand.

Finally after half an hour they reached the Jiet River. Kroger's foot prints led to it and K'eray could see them on the other bank. The werecat sat

and started to lick a forepaw. "Well I have three explanations for this, each more likely the one prior to it. First: he was heading back to

Ellesmera and lost his way. This is very unlikely as he was to stay with the Varden. Second: He's heading towards Arya and Eragon. This has

about a 60% chance of being the solution. Third, and most likely: he's heading for the Empire _and _Arya and Eragon. This is likely due to his steps

leading in the direction of Gilead. Also, he was carrying a sheath. If you look closely you can see a tiny line weaving back and forth in between

his foot prints. This indicates the remains of the tip of a sheathed sword sliding through the ground." K'eray was both surprised and happy with

the werecat's immense store of knowledge. "So do you think he'll find Arya and Eragon?" Another werecat walked forward, this one light brown

color. "I'll be the judge of that." He smelled the air for a moment and then closed his eyes. They flashed open, then went into a more calm

expression. "It looks like he's heading to Gailbatorix's main city. I'm almost positive that he'll stop in Gilead and-" He paused and looked up at

K'eray. "-pick up your mentor." Olam looked down at the trail and nodded. "Arvindr. He was carrying a sword." K'eray kneeled and looked at the

ground. How had he found that out? "How do you know?" Olam pointed with one paw at a section of ground a few feet away. "See those

specks of ice? It's nowhere near time for the ground to start freezing over. No, he came through here and for some reason activated Arvindr's

power. He has Arvindr and-" A look of concern and knowing crossed the old cat's face, "-that is not good." K'eray cast a side-long glance at him.

"Why?" The werecat's eyes shimmered silver. He looked up at the sky for a moment then back at her. "Because now the Carrier has the tools

he will need to freeze her."

**********

Eragon crept up the low hill, every part of his body filled with excitement. They were less then a half mile away from Brom. They just had to top

this hill and they would be able to see him. Soon he would tell Brom to live and he would live again. Arya crawled behind him, quick and light as

a mountain lion. Gridor flew slowly above them and Thorn had stayed in there camp. As Arya nearly fell over a concealed rock she whispered,

"Eragon slow down." Eragon commanded his legs to move slower but they refused to obey his orders. "We need to get out of here, soon." Arya

jumped in front of him. Laying a hand on his shoulder she used here immensely powerful strength to stop him. "We will. But it does us no good

to harm ourselves by going to fast." He raised a hand to push her arm away, then stopped. She was right. "Fine." He slowed his pace and it

took them a good ten minutes to make it over the hill. Eragon ran to the top and looked down onto the diamond tomb of his father. Brom lay

completely visible through the translucent stone, a powerful shield that protected him from the rain and snow. Eragon ran down to him and

slide the last few feet, as a result of putting on leg down wrong on a persistent shrub. Arya and Gridor quickly arrived and sat beside him.

"Alright we don't want to awaken him while he's still in there. So who do we get him out?" Gridor flapped his wings and rose above the tomb.

Opening his mouth Eragon saw lightning gathering in his mouth. He barely had time to jump at the Mecch and say, "What are you thinking?

You'll hit him!" Gridor sat up from where Eragon had knocked him out of the sky. He shook his head and dust billowed around him. "Isn't that

the point?" Eragon ground his teeth. "No! We want to his the diamond, not the person in the diamond!" Gridor thought and said, "Couldn't you

just break it with magic." Eragon thought that over. "Maybe, but by now the cells in his body may have combined with the gem and if we

destroy it then it'll destroy him." Gridor stood and looked down at Brom. "Revive him now, and that will separate his cells from those of the

crystal and we could break it. Do that though and he'll likely have a heart attack. It's better then destroying him completely." Eragon nodded.

"Alright then, wake him now it is." Arya and Gridor stood back and Eragon raised his hands over the tomb. His palm shimmered with power and

he said, "Rise, Brom Halcombson." Wind from all around arose and seemed to flow all at once to Brom. The old man gasped and his eyes

opened. Eragon looked down at him and sent thoughts to him. _Don't move Brom. You're trapped but we'll soon have you out. _Brom looked

bewildered and thought back, _What happened. You look like an elf. _Eragon shook his head. _Later. _Brom lay still. Eragon stood up. "Gridor." The

Mecch walked forward and very slowly he breath white hot flames on the diamond until it melted. He repeated the process until he got to Brom.

At that point Eragon lifted the rest of him out with magic.

Again Gridor breathed fire on the diamond that still held Brom, until only a small bit of it still held him in place. Eragon pointed at it. "Destroy."

The crystal around Brom shattered. Brom fell on the ground and Eragon embraced him. Brom looked up at him, then at Arya, then at Gridor. He

looked back at Eragon, "How did you bring me back from the dead?" Eragon stood and opened his hand. His shinning gedwey ignasia casting

shadows in the dying light. "I have complete control over magic. I'll explain it once we get back to camp." They all left and went back to a

sleeping Thorn in the camp. Brom looked at Thorn with surprise. "Saphira?" Thorn lifted his head and looked around, then snorted and went

back to sleep. "No, this is Thorn, Dragon of Murtagh son of Morzan." Brom tightened his grip on his staff. "Eragon, I-" He stopped as Eragon laid

a hand on his shoulder. "No need to be standing." He led Brom to the ground beside Thorn and they all sat against the dragon's body. "Now,

Brom, before you start talking you should know that I am aware that you are my father." To his surprise Brom didn't seem to wonder about that

at all. "I know. Now, who is that strange Dragon?" Eragon smiled as Gridor snorted and flames burst from his nose. "That is Gridor. He is a

Mecch, or Elite Dragon." Over the next hour and a half he told his father about all the things that had happened to him after his death. He

ended by saying, "And so right as we were leaving by using Kecra's shadow Megan said these words. 'Gailbatorix is your-' Later the werecat,

Olam, told me that my hated enemy is not all to me then I think he is. Please, do you know what they meant?" Brom relaxed his head against

Thorn's side, sighing and there by sending smoke through his pipe which he had light a little after Eragon began. "I never should have hidden

this from you." A cold line of fear crawled down Eragon's spine. "Brom. What are you talking about?" Brom looked at him. "Gailbatorix, as I told

you in the tale at Carvahall, was born in the provenance of Inzilbeth, which was in the city of Kuasta." Eragon gulped past the lump in his

throat. "Gailbatorix and I are........twin brothers." Eragon's eyes flashed open and he crawled away in horror. He could not believe his ears. He

was the nephew of that raving king? "That-That's impossible!" Brom sighed and whispered, "I only wish that were true." Eragon shook his head

in dismay. He had just barely shaken off the thought of having one evil relative, Morzan, and now he found that he was related closely to the

Bane of the Riders. "Why didn't you tell me?" Brom looked at him sadly. "Would you have believed me?" Eragon looked at the pool of water

beside him and for an instant his reflection transformed into a laughing man with a blood stained sword. The man looked back at Eragon and

mouthed, "We're the same." Eragon spun and punched the water sending the image in every direction. To his horror the defragmented parts

moved away and morphed into more of them. He drew Brisingr and started to lunge at the water, when he felt warm hands rapped around him.

Arya was kneeling next to him, hugging him. "Don't worry. You're nothing like him, no matter that you are related. I'm here Eragon. You don't

need to worry about anything. I'm here, Eragon." She repeated the last line over and over and Eragon's breathing slowed and calmed. He

looked at their group and said, "Let's get some sleep." They all laid beside Thorn and slept.


	15. Marching

Marching

Nasuada tapped her shoulder impatiently as she watched the hundreds of thousands of men move past her. She was more agitated then she

could ever remember being. Sadness gripped her heart, but at the same time new found determination. The previous night Blodhgarm and

Nasuada had decided that they were not suited for each other, and as a result she was now once again single. She had not realized what a

massive hole was left in her life that not having someone to love had had made. Only recently had that hole been filled. Now it was a hole again,

and Nasuada had a confused mixture of emotions. On the hand, she liked the idea of having her freedom back but on the other hand she still

wanted someone to love, and someone to love her. So as a result she welcomed the forward marching that the Varden were undergoing, for it

allowed her to forget her loss. She stumbled back as one of the werecat's that Eragon had recruited, a nearly brown one, pounced on a mouse

that was nibbling a on a seed behind the barrel she was standing. She remembered his name was Olam the Wise. The cat looked up at her as

he eat the rodent. When it was done it licked a paw and started to clean the blood from his face. Then he wavered and morphed into the form of

an old man, somewhere in his late fifties. "Nasuada, what troubles you?" She looked back at the men who were making a large amount of noise

while marching. "I am fine. What makes you think that I'm upset?" Olam raised out a hand and laid on her shoulder, surprising her as she had

her attention on the men. "A great poet once wrote a wise saying, which I have memorized.'Charity is not meat given to a hungry dog, but meat

given to a hungry dog when you are just as hungry as that dog.' I say this as a form of encouragement. You have sacrificed your whole life in

dedication to the Varden, and even now you continue to give of yourself. I am older then can be fathomed, and I have met but a handful of

people that would sacrifice themselves as you do." He turned to leave but Nasuada reached out and gripped his shoulder. He turned and cast a

single silver eye at her. "Wait. Wh-What can you tell me about Eragon? Do you know something about him that might help us?" Olam gently took

her hand in his and looked into her eyes. "In his heart there is a battle taking place. One side wants to fight The Bane of the Riders, while the

other is his darker personality. That side wants to do only what is best for it. That battle is being fought in every mind of every Human, Dwarf,

Urgal, Elf, and Dragon that fights Gailbatorix." Nasuada shook her head. "That doesn't answer. What I want to know is do you know something

that will help us?" Olam sighed. He looked into the sky, counting something. "If that doesn't answer your question, I'm sorry. It isn't a habit of

mine to give forthright answers. If that doesn't answer, perhaps this will. 'There are two wolves fighting inside Eragon. One is the one he loves.

It is kindness, love, a want to fight Gailbatorix. The other is the one he hates. It is greed, and envy, and hatred and a want to only see to his

desires. The two fight day and night to control him.'" Nasuada looked into his silver eyes. "Which one wins?" A twinkle sparked in his eyes, a

sudden burst of silver that transfused his pupil for a moment, and his voice deepened. He leaned forward and whispered, "The one that he gives

food to."

* * *

Eragon climbed onto Thorn, calling for Arya. Brom walked over to him and said, "How in the world am I going to get back?" Eragon smiled and

pointed at Gridor. "You'll ride on him, Father." Brom looked at the Mecch, who by all rights could pass as a human. "How am I going to do that?"

Eragon looked at Gridor expectantly. Clenching his fists, a steam started to roll off of Gridor. Like a mummy ripping out of the cloth that incased it

Gridor ripped off his cloths as he began to grow. He grew and grew until finally he was the same size as Thorn. "He has the ability to transform

into a natural Dragon, but he rarely if ever does." Brom grunted and jumped onto his back. Even as a full ordinary dragon, Gridor retuned his

ability to talk in the human tongue. "Be careful. Sorry I didn't think to bring a saddle with me." Eragon clapped his hands and leather from

Thorn's saddle duplicated until there was one of equal size and value. It floated to Gridor and strapped itself to him. "We need to get back to the

Varden quickly, so I'm going to cut the air in front of us, and summon a tail wind." Brom shook his head in disbelief. "You can-" He was cut off as

a wild yell cut out from the trees to their left. A dark form jumped off a low hill and rammed into Eragon. Eragon tried to reach for Brisingr to

defend himself, but could not extended his arm far enough. Eragon heard swords being drawn, as well as a profoundly loud scream. Through the

air, a single word barked. "Arvindr." Eragon forced his eyes open, just in time to see Kroger step over Brom's bleeding body. One of the old

man's arms lay a few feet away. Kroger held Arvindr, which was covered in the Ice of Fury, and looked around their camp, searching for

something. His eyes lit up and he walked forward saying, "There you are." He jumped over Thorn's tail, Thorn being unconscious, and headed

towards Eragon. He reached down and took Brisingr from where it lay beside him. He looked down at Eragon then tilted the sword upward and

slammed it down on his head. Eragon blacked out. Before he did however, he said a single word that stopped Brom's bleeding. The last thing he

heard was Kroger laughing. When he awoke he sat up and looked around. Nothing but Brom. The old man was hobbling towards him, holding

his right arm in his left, literally. His right arm was no longer attached to his body. (**Some of you may of already guessed that from what I said **

**before, but I thought I would make it clear.) **"Can you do something about this?" Eragon muttered a word and Brom's arm snapped back into

place. "Where's Arya?" Brom looked up at him and said, "He took Arya."

* * *

Nasuada looked down at the old werecat. "What do you mean, each every one he gives food to?" Olam jumped onto the barrel and stared at

her. "I mean exactly what I say." He straightened and said, "There are things that you are unaware of about Eragon, but not what I would say

are 'helpful' pieces of information." Nasuada looked down at the cat and said, "Like what?" The cat looked back up at her from his feet and said,

"For instance he is the nephew of Gailbatorix." Nasuada fell back in astonishment. "That can't be!" The old man continued talking, despite her

interruption. "He has a younger sister, an older brother, and a home in Uru'bean where his family lives. His mother, his sister, and his brother,

but not his father." He jumped up so that he was using her shoulder for support for his old bones. "That's right his mother is alive. Brom and her

had more children then Eragon is aware. Anyways, anything else you want to know?" Nasuada looked at her hands, then back at the werecat.

"What is his destiny?" The man wavered and went into his cat form. He jumped off of her shoulder and onto the ground below. He walked off

then looked back over his shoulder. "Sorry, can't tell you that." She sighed in disappointment then looked up as the cat stopped, sighed and

turned around. "This part of our conversation never occured. Time will tell his future and destiny, but his fate, which can not be changed, is to

over-throw Gailbatorix and through an awful event, take the crown and resurrect the Riders from the shambles of the elves mistake. He will be

wise and powerful until, one day, his wife will take him, 'To the Land of Shadows to kill the foe.'" With that he turned and started to walk off.

Nasuada did not understand. The land of shadows? The foe? Who was the foe and why did Eragon have to go to this land to kill him? "Wait.

Who is this foe?" The old cat took a deep sigh. "The foe. The foe in Durza. The foe that was in Durza until Eragon killed him, and then that foe

escaped. He needs to go and kill that foe, or else he will get to the Land of Shadows. Do you understand? The foe that now torments him is and

was in Durza, and he needs to kill him. If he doesn't, ten years he will have to wait."


	16. Last Chapter

Eragon looked at his father, panic beginning to grip him. "What do you mean he took Arya?" Brom knelt and examined a foot print. He looked up

and down the track leading north. "Exactly that. He took Arya, and by the look of it he's heading for the edge of the Surda. Maybe he just didn't

recognize me and you, and as a result took Arya back with him." Eragon shook his head. Impossible. "That can't be it. He took Brisingr with him,

and he was talking like he had came for only that." Brom looked down at the trail and his eye brows went up. He looked at Eragon with concern.

"I was just awoken from death so I don't know this. But, how much does Arya mean to you?" A cold filling crawled up Eragon spine, making his

hear stand on end. "Why do you ask?" Brom pointed at a continuous trail of blood that was along side the set of tracks. "She was bleeding, and

from what I can see he made no effort to stop it. At that loss of blood, if this strange elf that took her doesn't stop it, she'll be dead within a day

and a half." Now that panic fully infused Eragon. "We have to go save her!" Eragon went for his bags but Brom stopped him by grabbing his arm.

"Eragon, we need to get back to the Varden. The elf who took Arya is most likely heading for the boarder of Surda, which means that we can

beat him there. We could head towards him and surprise him and take Arya back." Eragon tried to pull away but could not break his grip. "But-"

He looked down-ward and sighed. "Where's Gridor?" Brom jerked his head to the side where the dragon was picking himself off the ground.

Thorn raised his head and shook it. He looked down at Eragon then snorted. Brom took his bags and flung them over Thorn. "We need to get

back to the Varden by tomorrow. Can you get us there?" Eragon thought then groaned as he wished that he had Kecra there. "Kecra could

easily transport us to the Varden's camp. He could send us to Farthen Dur from Carvahall." Brom nodded and said, "How fast can _you _get us

there?" Eragon thought. He could do it. But Eragon 1's mate's warning rang in his head. "I shouldn't try and go so far." Brom looked slightly

disappointed and then jumped on Thorn. "Let's go as fast as possible then."

*********

Nasuada kneeled by the werecat and grabbed his shoulder. "Please. Explain so that I can understand." The cat looked at her and sighed. "Fine.

There is a foe, a foe that lived inside of the Shade Durza before Eragon killed him and is now out. The foe is going to leave to The Land of

Shadows. Eragon has to find and kill the foe, or it will be at least a decade before he gets another chance." Nasuada shifted through her

thoughts, trying to find a logical solution to what he was saying. "Who is the foe?" The cat shrugged. "Haven't a clue." Nasuada straightened

and looked at the men that had been marching past. The road was clear now so she started to walk forward. She stopped when Olam jumped in

front of her. The cat looked mournful. He lowered his head and whispered, "I'm sorry." She down at the cat and said, "For what?" The cat looked

up at her and mewed. "For all that has and all that will happen to you. This battle with the Empire is going to be over a lot sooner then you

think." Sudden hope shot through Nasuada. She knelt and said, "You mean we're going to win?" Still mournful the cat said, "Yes. You will win.

But like I said a bad event will take place." He looked up at Nasuada and his legs began to change. They turned a yellowish color and then a foot

or so up the leg grew feathers. _He's changing. _Nasuada thought. "I'm sorry. The future can not be stopped." The rest of his body grew feathers

and his front paws turned to wings. He was now a full eagle. He turned and jumped into the sky. Nasuada noticed that there was an odd and

too large shadow on his under belly. Nasuada turned and started to walk across the road. _Eragon, where are you? _Her thoughts were interrupted

when a man ran up to her and she drew a knife, since her guards were else where. "Lady Nasuada. King Orrin has just been assassinated.

*********

With a flap so powerful that Eragon was nearly thrown out of the saddle Thorn launched himself through the air. His mouth was set in a deep

snarl, and his wings flapped harder then Eragon had thought was possible. Gridor was having a hard time matching his pace. Just as they were

about to take off Eragon had told Thorn that unless he hurried the Empire would kill Saphira, and now Thorn was going almost too fast. Gridor

flapped once, and with his Elite abilities he was able to keep pace with Thorn in comfort. With one flap of Thorn's wings took him almost a

hundred yards at a time. _Thorn, I understand your enthusiasm but slow down a hair! _Eragon could only feel a fire of unimaginable love and

determination coming from the crimson dragon. _They will _not _kill her! I will rip them apart if they even try! _Eragon shrunk away from the ferocity of

his anger. Thorn's love for Saphira astonished him. It surpassed even Eragon's, an accomplishment Eragon had not even thought possible.

Unbidden thoughts of what he had done to Arya came to his mind. First Trianna, then Elva, and yet all Arya did was love him. He lowered his

head and thought to himself, _Never again. I will never betray her ever again. _Thorn's wing caught in the air and produced a nearly defining whistle

in Eragon's ear. From behind him Brom shouted, "Can't you make him go slower?" Eragon tried to turn around so that he was facing his father,

but to do so might throw him off the saddle. "I can't. I tried but his love for Saphira won't be stopped. He's beyond determined!" Thorn went so

fast that when Eragon looked through the eyes of a farmer below, he didn't even see so much as a slight red blur. Eragon mouthed a spell that

cut the air in front of Thorn and the dragon speed to an alarming speed without having to fight the wind. So fast was Thorn that by the end of

the day Uru'bean was five miles behind them. Eragon had to drain the air around Thorn's wings to get him to land. When they did, and Eragon

and Brom had jumped off his back, Thorn looked down at Eragon with one blood shoot eye. _Why are we stopping? _His voice was like the

grounding of rocks. Gridor flapped into their stopping point and landed beside Thorn's leg. He looked up at the red dragon and said soothingly,

"Calm yourself, my young ling. Saphira can take care of herself is the Empire attackers. Have no fear. We shall soon arrive there, and you will see

her well and save." Thorn's tendons relaxed. A nagging sense of urgency still clawed at his mind, as Eragon found after looking into his mind.

Brom, being the oldest there, went to sleep. Gridor flew to the top of a tree saying, "I'll keep watch." Thorn lay his head down on his paws and

tapped one claw on the ground. Eragon walked across the fire that he had just made and lay against his paw.

_You really love her, don't you? _Thorn looked at him as if he had just said something blindly obvious. _Yes, I do. The Empire will suffer if they lay a _

_single sword on her neck. _His thoughts went from anger, to relaxed memories of Saphira. Most of them Eragon could understand, except for the

one when they had made there first child. At that memory Eragon turned his thoughts away, and let the dragon remember it in peace. Then

Thorn looked down on him and said, _You really do have a beautiful Dragon. Count yourself as lucky_. Eragon smiled at the red mass behind him_. I do_.

Thorn snorted and raised his head. He smelled the air and looked up at an eagle flying in the sky. He tightened his eyes and said, _I think we _

_have company. _The eagle dove from the sky and landed on the ground beside him. The shadow from under it moved with amazing speed to the

right then it built on it's self until three forms came from it. "Really, after training us you'd think you'd know us better." One of the turned and

said, "You know he has a point." Eragon stood up and dusted his pant legs. "Yeah well, you're blind except for your shadows, Kecra. So don't go

passing judgment." Hyro and Fifrie turned and smiled. Fifrie walked over to Thorn and lay down. "Well now that we're here, what's up? Where'd

Arya go?" Eragon felt a slight tremor of saddens but shook it off. Now was not the time. "Kroger, the teacher of Arya, took her." Kecra yawned

and said, "That so? How unlucky." Hyro helped the eagle, now an old man, walk over and sit against a tree. The man leveled a finger and

Eragon. "You are one hard man to find." Eragon smiled. "If I was an easy man to find then it would be all the easier for Gailbatorix to find and kill

me." Olam nodded and said, "We have come to help. Eragon, I need to talk with you." Eragon stood and walked behind the old man as he

walked into the forest beyond. Olam stopped beside a large tree and sat. "First I want you to know that the people involved in this did not want

to do what they did." Eragon nodded. "Good. For starters in the city of Uru'bean you have a brother, and a sister, and a mother." Eragon

blanched backward. "What?" The old man his him. "Don't interrupt! Now, your mother had to flee to the city for the same reason that Brom

pretended to be dead. To protect you. In time she gave birth to a girl and a boy. The boy is older by three years. He is 23 years old, and named

Kazuci. The other is a daughter and she is 20 years old and is named Nya. She is a stunning girl by your standers I would say." Eragon's head

was swimming. His family was alive? "Does Brom know?" The old man wavered and turned into a cat. "No, he doesn't. You, as his son, should tell

him." Eragon nodded. He'd do that.

"There is more." The cat looked up mournfully at him. "I wish this wasn't so, but fate has set it's coarse for you. Through an awful event that will

leave you in the throne. You are destined to kill Gailbatorix and lead the race of humans and elves in peace and unity." Eragon looked at the cat

with new found horror. He was supposed to usher in this time of great peace? He was to led two races? Olam stood. "Go and tell your father

that his mate lives." Eragon stood and walked, light-headed, to Brom. He knelled beside the old man and whispered, "Selena is still alive." The

old man's head shot up so fast Eragon nearly got hit by it. "What!" Eragon went on. "Yeah, I know, surprising. Also, you have two sons and a

daughter." Brom stood up and said, "Where did you get this information." Eragon gestured at Olam, who was stepping out from the trees, and

said, "Him." A startled hiss came from across the camp from Hyro. A pool of water was in front of him, Nasuada's sad face on it. The werecat

looked at Eragon and said, "Orrin was just assassinated."

* * *

**End of Seduction**


	17. Fourth Book

**_Next Book is up and it's called Envy. Only have first chapter up so far as of Friday, November the 13 at 10:17 AM and 45 seconds. :) I just want to give you the absolute time I published it._**


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